November 8, 2023 By Katie Roundtree

Roseate spoonbills are striking pink birds that inhabit our marshes and preserves in South Florida. They are shorter and smaller than the more infamous flamingo, but their plumage is just as striking and easy to spot from afar. While they may be small in stature, they have a wingspan that is almost twice as wide as they are tall.

Roseate Spoonbills are highly social. They feed with each other and with other wading birds. They also nest in colonies and fly in flocks. They are found with other spoonbills in a group called appropriately a “bowl.”

But what makes them pink? Spoonbills feed on small fish, insects and crustaceans (invertebrates). Crustaceans are packed with carotenoids, fat-soluble pigments that constitute reds, oranges, and yellows.  Invertebrates compile these pigments by eating aquatic vegetation, which uses beta-carotenoids to conduct photosynthesis. Then, as spoonbills eat these crustaceans, they ingest their stockpiled carotenoids. As the birds digest their prey, these pigments are transferred into fat stores under the skin. These reserves feed into the feathers, primarily along the bird’s back, wings and rump.

As to their distinctive beak, spoonbills develop a flat, spoon-shaped bill shortly after hatching. Spoonbill hatchlings have a straight beak for the first few days of their life. The spoon shape grows as the chick develops. Spoonbills forage by sweeping their open bills back and forth under the water (think of a metal detector). Their bills have nerves that can feel when prey enters their bill and triggers it to shut when it comes in contact with food. It’s a very efficient way to forage.

Up close, roseate spoonbills have unique coloring on their heads.  While young, they have light-colored feathers covering their heads and light pink plumage.  As they age, the feathers on their head thin out, with only the blue-green to yellow-green head showing, and their plumage gets darker.  Their reddish eyes are in stark contrast to their head coloring, making them quite a unique specimen. You can estimate the age of a roseate spoonbill then by determining if they have feathers on their head and by how vibrant their feathers are.

We are fortunate to see them still since they were hunted almost to extinction in the late 1800s for their gorgeous plumage used to decorate hats and fans. Thankfully, they received legal protection in the 1940s, and their population has recovered.

Roseate spoonbills are the only spoonbill species native to the United States. Other species are found in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. However, no other spoonbill species has the distinctive pink coloring as the roseate spoonbill.

Take advantage of the cooler weather and explore the outdoors again! Find a park or preserve and see if you can spot a bowl of roseate spoonbills. Enjoy!