| Roseate spoonbill | |
|---|---|
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| At Orlando Wetlands Park,Orange County,Florida | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Pelecaniformes |
| Family: | Threskiornithidae |
| Genus: | Platalea |
| Species: | P. ajaja |
| Binomial name | |
| Platalea ajaja | |
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Year-round Nonbreeding | |
| Synonyms | |
Ajaia ajaja(Linnaeus, 1758) | |
Theroseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is a socialwading bird of theibis andspoonbill family,Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in both South and North America. The roseate spoonbill's pink color is diet-derived, consisting of thecarotenoid pigmentcanthaxanthin, like theAmerican flamingo.
The roseate spoonbill wasformally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae under the currentbinomial namePlatalea ajaja.[2] Linnaeus largely based his account on the "Aiaia" that had been described and illustrated over a century earlier by the German naturalistGeorg Marcgrave in his bookHistoria Naturalis Brasiliae.[3] Linnaeus specified thetype locality as South America but this is now restricted to Brazil.[4][5] The genus namePlatalea isLatin and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the bill; the specific epithetajaja is from the name for the species in theTupi language as reported by Marcgrave.[6] The species is treated asmonotypic: nosubspecies are recognised.[7]
The roseate spoonbill is sometimes placed in its own genus –Ajaia. A 2010 study ofmitochondrial DNA of the spoonbills by Chesser and colleagues found that the roseate andyellow-billed spoonbills were each other's closest relatives, and the two were descended from an early offshoot from the ancestors of the other four spoonbill species. They felt the genetic evidence meant it was equally valid to consider all six to be classified within the genusPlatalea or alternatively the two placed in themonotypic generaPlatibis andAjaia, respectively. However, as the six species were so similar morphologically, keeping them within the one genus made more sense.[8]
The roseate spoonbill is 71–86 cm (28–34 in) long, with a 120–133 cm (47–52 in) wingspan and a body mass of 1.2–1.8 kg (2.6–4.0 lb).[9] Thetarsus measures 9.7–12.4 cm (3.8–4.9 in), theculmen measures 14.5–18 cm (5.7–7.1 in) and the wing measures 32.3–37.5 cm (12.7–14.8 in) and thus the legs, bill, neck and spatulatebill all appear elongated.[10] Adults have a bare greenish head ("golden buff" when breeding[11]) and a white neck, back and breast (with a tuft of pink feathers in the center when breeding), and are otherwise a deep pink. The bill is grey. There is no significantsexual dimorphism.
Like theAmerican flamingo, their pink color is diet-derived, consisting of thecarotenoid pigmentcanthaxanthin. Another carotenoid,astaxanthin, can also be found deposited inflight and body feathers.[12] The colors can range from pale pink to bright magenta, depending on age, whether breeding or not, and location. Unlikeherons, spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched. They alternate groups of stiff, shallow wingbeats with glides.[13]
In the United States, the species is locally common inTexas,Florida, and southwestLouisiana.[14] Generally, the species occurs in South America mostly east of theAndes, and in coastal regions of theCaribbean,Central America,Mexico, and theGulf Coast of the United States,[15][16] and from central Florida's Atlantic coast[17] atMerritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, adjoined with NASAKennedy Space Center at least as far north as South Carolina'sMyrtle Beach.[18]
Plume hunting in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries almost drove the roseate spoonbill to extinction.[19][14] However, following decades of conservation efforts, and the effectsof climate change, the range of the roseate spoonbill has expanded considerably in the 21st century.[20][19] For instance, the species was recorded breeding in the state ofGeorgia for the first time in 2011. Moreover, its presence inSouth Carolina has expanded significantly since the 1970s,[19] as well as a single sighting of the bird in both Michigan and Wisconsin. The last known recorded log of the bird in the state of Wisconsin was of a deceased specimen in 1845 in Rock County. It made an historic reappearance 178 years later when a specimen was sighted by a crew that was doing birding surveys on the restricted-access Cat Island Causeway on July 27, 2023.
In the summer of 2021, sightings of the bird were reported well outside its typical range, including inWashington, D.C.,upstate New York, and evenNew Hampshire.[21] A large flock was spotted inHuntley Meadows Park inFairfax County, Virginia, drawing a large crowd of spectators.[22] The bird has also been spotted inNew Jersey with increasing frequency.[23]
InFlorida Bay, roseate spoonbills are an ecological and scientificindicator species. The number of nests varies with both the amount of fresh water and the depth of seawater there, as wetlands turn into open ocean. The birds are choosing to nest further north and inland in Florida, with sharp changes in nest locations noted in the years 2006–2020.[24]
Little is known about the roseate spoonbill's behavior outside of their foraging habits.[25] This species feeds in shallow fresh or coastal waters by swinging its bill from side to side as it steadily walks through the water, often in groups. Moreover, the spoon-shaped bill allows it to sift easily through mud.[25]
The bird feeds oncrustaceans, bits of plant material,aquatic insects,mollusks,frogs,newts and very smallfish (such asminnows) ignored by larger waders.[25][26][27] In Brazil, researchers found roseate spoonbill diets to consist of fish, insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and seeds, all foraged fromlimnetic/freshwater habitats. This habitat specialization, combined with the relative plasticity of great egret foraging behavior, allows the two species to minimize competition during the breeding season.[28] Roseate spoonbills must compete for food with other freshwater birds, such assnowy egrets,great egrets,tricolored herons andAmerican white pelicans.[citation needed] Roseate spoonbills are often trailed by egrets when foraging in a commensal "beater-follower" relationship, as the spoonbill's disturbance of the sediment makes prey more available to the egret (follower).[29]
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The roseate spoonbill nests in shrubs or trees, oftenmangroves, laying two to fiveeggs, which are whitish with brown markings.[13] Immature birds have white, feathered heads, and the pink of theplumage is paler. The bill is yellowish or pinkish. Nestlings are sometimes killed byturkey vultures,bald eagles,raccoons and invasivefire ants.[16]
Plume hunting in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries almost drove the roseate spoonbill to extinction. However, it is currently considered not threatened. Information aboutpredation on adults is lacking. In 2022, an 18-year-oldbanded bird was discovered, making it the oldest known wild individual.[30]
In Florida, roseate spoonbills may be eaten by some growth stage of invasive snakes such asBurmese pythons,reticulated pythons,Central African rock pythons,Southern African rock pythons,boa constrictors,yellow anacondas,Bolivian anacondas,dark-spotted anacondas, andgreen anacondas.[31]
Over the past 20 years the nesting range of Florida's Roseate Spoonbills has shifted north … Rising seas have seeped into the birds' historical foraging grounds in Florida Bay, driving them into shallower areas of Everglades National Park and beyond.
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