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Ajaia ajaja

(Roseate Spoonbill)

Overview

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Roseate spoonbills live mostly in swamplands and anywhere where aquatic plants may exist. These birds are often seen in small groups in areas where there are very shallow waters. They can also be found flying in small flocks of their kind. Rosette Spoonbills are colony nesters and are often found with other heron species. They breed in trees and lay three to five eggs . The nest of these birds is made of sticks and twigs . These nests are usually found in trees, bushes and sometimes on the ground .

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Pink Curlew, Roseate Spoonbill, Rosy Spoonbill

Common Names in French:

Spatule Rosée

Common Names in German:

Rosalöffler

Common Names in Japanese:

ベニヘラサギ

Common Names in Spanish:

Espátula Rosada, Espátula Rosada

Common Names in unspecified:

Roseate Spoonbill

Description

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Physical Description

Adult : Head : greenish, bare Face : Eye Color: brick red Bill: gray-green Shape : wide, flat, broad-tipped Neck: white to pale pink Body: Back: white Breast: white Color: white to pale pink Rump : darker pink Underparts: darker pink Upperparts: pink Legs : Foot Color: pinkish red Leg Color: pinkish red Wings: Coverts: brilliant carmine Tail: buffy orange.Breeding: Head: greenish, bare Crown: bluish-green Face: Eye Color: brick red Facial Skin : suffused with orange Bill: bluish-green Shape: spatulate Neck: white to pale pink Gular Skin Color: bluish-green Body: Back: white Breast: white Color: white to pale pink Rump: pink Upperparts: pink Legs: Foot Color: pinkish red Leg Color: pinkish red Tail: buffy orange.Immature: Head: dull white down Face: Eye Color: brick red Bill: gray-green Shape: spatulate Neck: white to pale pink Body: Back: white Breast: white Color: pinkish white Rump: pink Upperparts: pink Legs: Femorals: blackish Foot Color: blackish Leg Color: pinkish red Tail: buffy orange.

Color:

Adult : Red eyes · Bill grayish with dark mottling · Head greenish and unfeathered with black nape band · White neck and back · Pink back and wings · Legs red, feet dark

Immature : Yellow eyes · Bill yellowish · White or very pale pink body plumage · White feathered head

Size/Age/Growth

About 30 to 40 inches long, with a wingspan of 50 to 53 inches.

Habitat

One of the main requirements of their habitat is the presence of shallow water areas in close proximity to nesting and roosting sites. They have been known to feed in salt, fresh, and brackish water. Bays , estuaries, tidal ponds and mangrove swamps are common feeding areas. They nest in wetlands and on coastal islands in low trees , thick bushes, mangroves or reeds, and occasionally on the ground .

Vegetation: freshwater marshes, freshwater lakes and ponds • Maximum Elevation: 800 meters • Foraging Strata: Water • Center of Abundance: Lower tropical: lowlands, lower than 500 m.; tropics. • Sensitivity to Disturbancet: Medium

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,195 meters (0 to 10,482 feet).[1]

Biology

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Diet

Small fish such as minnows and killifish make up about 85 percent of their diet with shrimp, mollusks, aquatic bugs, insects and vegetable material making up the difference. Nerves extend to the tip of the bill making it extremely sensitive . When prey comes in contact with the mandible it stimulates the nerves and the bill snaps shut. They usually feed in water no higher than their knees , and are able to breathe through the nostril slits located high on the base of the bill. They sweep their bill from side to side, an inch from the bottom , in wide semicircles, with the mandibles slightly open. This sweeping motion with their flat bill creates mini-whirlpools. Small animals in the muddy bottom are lifted into the water during one sweep of the bill and are grasped during the next sweep. A series of processes, papillae, on the outside edge of both mandibles assist in transferring the food to the throat .

Reproduction

The minimum breeding age is about 33-36 months. However, most don’t mate until their fourth year.

The breeding cycle can be divided into four phases ; pair formation, betrothal period, copulation and nest building, and hatching and care of young.

Mature spoonbills usually arrive on the breeding grounds about a month before pairing. Immature spoonbills usually do not migrate to the breeding grounds. However, a few might go and stay near the edge of the colony . The female advertises her desire to pair by isolating herself in a tree or bush and shaking twigs or branches in her bill when approached by another spoonbill. The male flies at her, wings beating as he attempts to perch next to her, and nodding his head up and down . Once the female accepts the male they are then considered a pair. During the betrothal period the male will run off other adult spoonbills. He makes no attempt to fight off invasions of other species; the spoonbill is at the bottom of a peck order in a mixed breeding colony. He then offers a stick to the female at the nesting site. She takes it in her bill, shakes her head and lays the stick on the branches at her feet. This is the beginning of the construction of the nest. The male gathers the sticks and the female builds the nest. Mating begins when the female stands on the nest, leaning slightly forward and shaking a loose twig in her bill. The male watches her then slowly he moves directly behind her. He then reaches across her back to grasp the same twig. The male then mounts the female and firmly grasps the middle portion of her mandibles between his own. The female flattens herself on the nest, the male shakes his head then releases her bill and hops off. They continue working on the nest until the first egg appears, six days after mating. They average 2-3 eggs per clutch . The incubation period is twenty-three to twenty-four days. The young feed by reaching into the side of the adults’ open bill at the base . Once the young are able to leave the nest they feed in the nearby tide pools .

Clutch Size: 2-3 Length of Incubation : 22-23 days Days to Fledge : 35-42 Number of Broods: 1

Migration

Some migrate

Behavior

The Roseate Spoonbill flies with its head and neck outstretched. The wings beat slow and long. When flying in a flock they generally form a diagonal line . They are shy birds and if disturbed will leave. They forage alone or in small flocks and are colonial nesters .

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Platalea Ajaja

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001.

Similar Species

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Greater Flamingo, Scarlet Ibis

Members of the genus Ajaia

There are approximately 1 species in this genus:

A. ajaja (Roseate Spoonbill)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 29, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Mean = 2,881.060 meters (9,452.297 feet), Standard Deviation = 469.300 based on 54 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 2009-05-07