Bird Gallery Index

Roseate Spoonbill image © Wayne Nicholas

Family:  (Threskiornithidae) Ibises and Spoonbills

Preferred Habitat:  Coastal marshes.

Seasonal Occurrence:  Common in all seasons.

Notes: The most spectacular nester at our Smith Oaks Rookery, where this photo was taken. In May of 2004, 172 Roseate Spoonbill nests and 252 adults were counted with an additional 101 immatures standing around. A sight not to be missed! Roseate Spoonbills forage for shrimp, small fish and aquatic invertebrates by sweeping their bills through the water. Their numbers were critically reduced early in the 20th century by hunters seeking their feathers for the millinery trade. A survey done in 1920 revealed a total of only 179 birds in Texas. Fortunately they have made an excellent recovery from those dark years.
- Susan Billetdeaux