Spoonbill

The bill

The Eurasian spoonbill’s bill is unmistakable — long, flat, and broadened into a distinct spoon shape at the tip. The bird feeds by sweeping this bill from side to side through shallow water, feeling for small fish, crustaceans, and invertebrates by touch. The sweep is continuous, covering a half-metre arc; the bill snaps shut when it detects contact. This tactile hunting method allows feeding in turbid water where vision would be useless.

The crest

In breeding plumage, the adult develops a distinctive bushy yellow-orange crest, a bare yellow-orange patch at the throat base, and a flushed orange base to the bill. Non-breeding adults are plain white. The difference is dramatic.

Six species

Six spoonbill species occur worldwide:

• Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) — the largest; Europe and Asia
• African spoonbill (Platalea alba) — pink-faced; sub-Saharan Africa
• Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) — vivid pink; the Americas; the most visually spectacular

The Dutch comeback

The Eurasian spoonbill was extirpated from the Netherlands by the 17th century due to hunting. A breeding colony was established in 1944 at Naardermeer; since then the Dutch population has recovered to several thousand pairs, with birds colonising new sites in England, Scotland, and Ireland in the 21st century.