Day 3 -The Spoonbill - 30 Days Wild 2017

Day 3: Star Species

Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)

For the last few weeks there have been numerous sightings of Spoonbills in my local Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in Llanelli. Infact at one point there were 4 - making it a centre record. The Spoonbill is very uncommon and I was lucky to spot a few on my Day 3 of 30 Days Wild: making it my Star Species of the day!

More about them - This species is almost unmistakable to identify. Almost as big as a heron, these tall white birds have long black legs and an impressive long spatulate bill. The adults have a black bill with a yellow tips, whilst the juvenile has more of a pink coloured bill.

They feed in an elegant way, sweeping their bills back and fro in the water for food. Their diet consists of mainly aquatic insects, newts, frogs, tadpoles, crustaceans and small fish. Check out the below video of a juvenile and adult spoonbill searching for food (check out the colour of their bills.)

The spoonbill is a regular but scarce bird in the UK. They were once hunted so heavily that they were virtually wiped out of Britain.  Numbers are increasing though, in 2005, there were under 20 of them but in 2016, their numbers have grown to over 60. 

This is a juvenile spoonbill with a few black headed gulls & lapwings

Amazing spoon-like bills!

Interesting Facts:

• The latin name: Platalea means 'broad' referring to the shape of the bill. Leukos 'white' and erodias 'heron' - Broad white heron.
• In October 2014 - A rare sighting of the largest flock of Spoonbills ever seen in Britain was recorded. 47 birds were sighted at Brownsea Island Lagoon in Dorset.