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Manatee County

Audubon Society

Roseate Spoonbill

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Name

Roseate Spoonbill

Scientific Name

(Platalea ajaja)

Why they are special:
  • One of Florida’s most iconic wading birds, instantly recognizable by its bright pink plumage and unique spoon-shaped bill.

  • Once nearly eliminated from Florida due to the plume trade, their recovery is a conservation success story.

  • Their striking colors often lead people to mistake them for flamingos!
Size and color:
  • A large wading bird, about 28–34 inches long with a wingspan of 47–52 inches.

  • Bright rose-pink body, with lighter pink or white on the neck and back.

  • Long, flat, spoon-shaped gray bill and bare greenish-yellow head.

  • Immature birds are paler, often mostly white with a hint of pink.
Seasonality in Florida:
  • Year-round resident in Florida.

  • In Manatee County, commonly seen in coastal marshes, wetlands, and shallow estuaries.
Habitat:
  • Prefers shallow freshwater and saltwater wetlands, tidal flats, and mangrove swamps.

  • Often found feeding alongside ibises, herons, and egrets.
Diet:
  • Feeds by sweeping its spoon-shaped bill side to side through shallow water.

  • Eats small fish, crustaceans, insects, and other aquatic invertebrates—the carotenoids in crustaceans give them their pink color.
Behavior:
  • Social birds, usually found in flocks.

  • Nest colonially with other wading birds in mangroves or trees near water.

  • Graceful in flight, often seen with neck extended and legs trailing behind.
Conservation notes:
  • Populations declined sharply in the 1800s due to hunting but have since rebounded.

  • Still vulnerable to habitat loss, pollution, and changes in water flow.

  • Protected under state and federal law.
Best time to see:
  • Year-round in Manatee County.

  • Look for them at Robinson Preserve, Emerson Point, Perico Bayou, and Palma Sola mudflats or marshes.
Fun Fact:
  • Roseate Spoonbills get their pink color the same way flamingos do—from pigments in the crustaceans they eat!
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