# Eurasian Spoonbill (*Platalea leucorodia*) The Eurasian Spoonbill is a beautiful bird with a long, flat bill that looks like a spoon! They love to wade in shallow waters, searching for tasty fish and insects to eat. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Eurasian Spoonbill](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Eurasian_Spoonbill.jpg&width=800) Photo: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eurasian_Spoonbill.jpg) ## Appearance The Eurasian Spoonbill is a large, elegant white wading bird with long, dark legs. Its most distinctive feature is its long, flat, black bill, which broadens into a yellow-tipped spoon shape. During breeding, adults may display a yellow-orange chest patch and a shaggy crest. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Pelecaniformes - **Family:** Threskiornithidae - **Genus:** Platalea ## Interesting facts - Baby spoonbills have short, straight bills that only flatten into a spoon shape as they grow! - Some Eurasian Spoonbills fly thousands of kilometers, from Europe to Africa, for winter! - Their spoon-bill lets them feel for food by touch, even in murky water where they can't see! - They often nest in crowded colonies, sharing space with other waterbirds like herons! ## Special abilities - **Sonar Sweeper:** Eurasian Spoonbill can sweep its unique bill side-to-side to feel and snap up hidden prey in murky waters. - **Saline Sipper:** Eurasian Spoonbill has special glands that help them filter out salt, allowing them to drink saltwater habitats. - **Silent Stalker:** Eurasian Spoonbill has long legs that help it wade into deeper water without disturbing unsuspecting prey. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 70-80 cm - **Wingspan:** 115-135 cm - **Weight:** 1-2 kg - **Lifespan:** 10-17 years - **Speed:** 60 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 3-4 - **Incubation:** 21-25 days - **Migration Distance:** 5000 km ## Diet & Feeding They sweep their unique bill through shallow water to catch tiny fish and aquatic invertebrates. - **Primary Foods:** small fish, insect larvae, crustaceans, tadpoles, worms - **Foraging Method:** Filter feeding ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [White-tailed Eagle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-eagle) (*Haliaeetus albicilla*) — Eagles may prey on eggs or young spoonbills. - **Eaten by:** [Red Fox](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-fox) (*Vulpes vulpes*) — Foxes sometimes raid nests for eggs and chicks. - **Eats:** Mosquitofish (*Gambusia affinis*) — Spoonbills actively consume small fish species like this. - **Eats:** Midge (*Chironomus plumosus*) — Larvae of these insects are a common food source. - **Shelter:** [Grey Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/grey-heron) (*Ardea cinerea*) — Spoonbills often share nesting colonies with herons. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Filter Feeder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/filter-feeder): Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water. - [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. - [Threatened](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/threatened): Threatened status denotes a species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future without effective conservation interventions. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and be quiet so you don't scare them away. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Eurasian Spoonbill? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Eurasian Spoonbill? 70-80 cm ### What is Eurasian Spoonbill's wingspan? 115-135 cm ### How much does Eurasian Spoonbill weigh? 1-2 kg ### How long does Eurasian Spoonbill live? 10-17 years ### How fast can Eurasian Spoonbill move? 60 km/h ### What does Eurasian Spoonbill eat? They sweep their unique bill through shallow water to catch tiny fish and aquatic invertebrates. ### Where is Eurasian Spoonbill usually found? Wetlands ## Where to spot - [Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hamburg-wadden-sea-national-park) — Hamburg, DE · Park - [Westküstenpark & Robbarium St. Peter-Ording](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/westkustenpark-st-peter-ording) — Schleswig-Holstein, DE · Zoo - [Guadalhorce River Mouth Natural Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/guadalhorce-river-mouth-natural-area) — Andalucía, ES · Park - [Odiel Marshes Natural Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/odiel-marshes-natural-area) — Andalucía, ES · Park - [Po Delta Regional Park, Emilia-Romagna](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/po-delta-regional-park-emilia-romagna) — IT · Park - [Trapani and Paceco Salt Pans Nature Reserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/trapani-paceco-salt-pans-nature-reserve) — IT · Park [View all places to see Eurasian Spoonbill](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/eurasian-spoonbill) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Eurasian Spoonbill: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eurasian-spoonbill)