Roseate Spoonbill landing at Gatorland by Lee 11-21-17

Yesterday, I shared the Boat-tailed Grackle female. Today, here are a few photos of two Roseate Spoonbills that landed on one of the trees at Gatorland. [Plus a bonus at the end]

Didn’t realize that she was already there.

The Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in South America mostly east of the Andes, and in coastal regions of the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, the Gulf Coast of the United States, and on central Florida’s Atlantic coast at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, adjoined with NASA Kennedy Space Center. They are also found here in Central Florida. These were at Gatorland in Orlando on 11/21/17.

Zoomed in even on this photo. The first ones were also cropped.

The roseate spoonbill is 71–86 cm (28–34 in) long, with a 120–133 cm (47–52 in) wingspan. The tarsus measures 9.7–12.4 cm (3.8–4.9 in), the culmen 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 spatulate bill all appear elongated. Adults have a bare greenish head (“golden buff” when breeding) 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.

Roseate Spoonbilsl landing at Gatorland by Lee 11-21-17

Roseate Spoonbills at Gatorland by Dan – Zoomed & Cropped

Roseate Spoonbills at Gatorland by Dan – Zoomed & Cropped

Like the American flamingo, their pink color is diet-derived, consisting of the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin. Another carotenoid, astaxanthin, can also be found deposited in flight and body feathers. The colors can range from pale pink to bright magenta, depending on age, whether breeding or not, and location. Unlike herons, spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched. They alternate groups of stiff, shallow wingbeats with glides.

Roseate Spoonbills at Gatorland by Dan – Zoomed & Cropped

Roseate Spoonbills at Gatorland by Dan – Yawning

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. The spoon-shaped bill allows it to sift easily through mud. It feeds on crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, newts and very small fish ignored by larger waders. In the United States, a popular place to observe roseate spoonbills is “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Roseate spoonbills must compete for food with snowy egrets, great egrets, tricolored herons and American white pelicans. [Wikipedia, with editing]
Threskiornithidae – Ibises, Spoonbills Family
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“Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.” (Genesis 2:19 NKJV)

Bonus:
I found this Great Egret along the edge and an alligator nearby with quite a look on its face. They really weren’t that close, but thought you would enjoy this series of photos. [Click to enlarge]

More Gatorland Adventures

Gatorland in Orlando, Florida