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Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

A bright pink wading bird of the Americas that sweeps its spoon-shaped bill through shallow water to catch food.

🪿 Wading Birds
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About the Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate spoonbills stand up to 2.5 feet tall with wings up to 4 feet across. They are pink with a white neck, deep red patches on the wings and a yellow-green head. In the U.S. they live along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, Texas and Louisiana, and they breed south to Argentina and Chile. They scoop minnows, small crustaceans, insects and plants from shallow fresh and salt water.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Platalea ajaja[2]
Size
Up to 2.5 feet tall, with a wingspan up to 4 feet.[1]
Lifespan
About 10 years in the wild; up to 15 in human care.[1]
Diet
Minnows, small crustaceans, insects and bits of plants.[1]
Habitat
Marshes and mangroves.[1]
Where it lives
Gulf and southeastern U.S. coasts south to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.[1]
Group life
Social; feeds, roosts and flies in groups.[1]
Babies
One to five eggs; both parents incubate.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]

Fun facts

  • Spoonbills get their pink color from the crustaceans they eat.[1]
  • They sleep standing on one leg.[1]
  • Courting spoonbills dance and clap their bills.[1]

Vocabulary

roseate
Rose-colored or pink.
wading bird
A long-legged bird that walks in shallow water to find food.
pigment
A natural coloring.
mangrove
A tree or swamp forest that grows in salty water along tropical coasts.
least concern
A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Roseate spoonbill.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/roseate-spoonbill (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Platalea ajaja (Roseate Spoonbill).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697574/93621961 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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