The African Spoonbill is a rather tall, long legger wading bird. It stands at 90cm tall, having a mainly white body, with its bill, legs and face decorated in a beautiful red. The wings of the African Spoonbill reaches lengths of 403mm. The African Spoonbill’s iconic spoon shaped bill of the Spoonbill makes it very recognizable. When young the bill of the Spoonbill is actually short. As the Spoonbill ages, the bill grows into its iconic shape.
Diet
The Spoonbill has a diet that consists of mainly fish and aquatic invertebrates like Shellfish, larvae, mollusks and insects. The Spoonbill uses its spoon to scoop up food and to roll around the dirt in search of food.
Breeding
The Spoonbill is a winter breeder that breeds at the beginning of winter into spring. The Spoonbill is a colonial breeder and the females generally lay their 3-5 eggs in the months of April and May. The eggs are laid near water sources on stick platforms in the trees. The nests are also made in marshes, swamps or cliffs. The eggs take 29 days to hatch and the young are cared for up to 30 days where they learn to fly.
Behaviour
The Spoonbill is actually a rather shy bird and is very alert. These birds are usually found singularly but can be seen in pairs and groups. This bird is very silent and only makes a grunting sound when alerted. The spoonbill travels by flight, with its legs extended. These birds feed in shallow waters, swinging its spoon side to side to catch fish.
Habitat
The Spoonbill prefers areas that are close to shallow water and are inhabitants of rivers, marshes, lakes, plains, savannahs, swamps and meadows. Spoonbills are often found in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, and Madagascar.
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