A Bird with Built-in Utensils?

Today we're wandering a walkway around a large pond with bits of marshy stretches along its banks and no trees to obstruct the view. Some lengths of the walk are on a paved trail with some wooden bridges connecting them to other parts of it, including some bird-blinds overlooking the water. So let's go see who we can meet!

It’s a Roseate Spoonbill!

Who needs expensive silverware when you've got a bill like that? Interestingly enough though, babies don't hatch with a spoon at the ready like their parents have. It actually takes around a week and a half for their bills to start flattening out, and can take over a month for it to be almost fully-shaped.

While Roseate spoonbills definitely have the advantage in the utensil department, they know the struggle of balding like humans do. As they get older, these feathered friends become slightly less feathered as they lose feathers on top of their heads as they get older--rather than hair like people do.

These rosy birds are one of only six spoonbills in the world, but they're only one found in the Americas. Like flamingos, the Roseate spoonbills get their pink coloring from their food, and also often sleep standing on one leg.

In the late 1800s the Roseate spoonbills were nearly eliminated due to destruction of their wader colonies by hunters seeking their feathers. While they have recovered, they are still vulnerable to things such as habitat degradation from human disturbance and poor water quality.

Where to find:

Roseate spoonbills are in the Southeast US and West Indies, through Mexico and Central America. They like to stay around coastal waters or other shallow bodies of water with muddy bottoms for them to search for food in. They are social birds that can be found hanging out with other waterfowl such as herons and egrets, foraging in shallow water together—and they also may nest in colonies with these same feathered friends.

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Today's newsletter includes reference information from National Audubon Society, iNaturalist, and AllAboutBirds by The Cornell Lab.