Discounts and news about special Zoo savings. Parents continue to care for the chicks for another 3-4 weeks. The African spoonbill's long legs and thin, pointed toes help it walk easily through the varying depths of water and mud in search of prey.They are recognized by their long spatulate bills, bare red face and legs, and white plumage. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, with the female sitting most of the day on the nest and the male relieving her at night. They are gregarious in the company of other birds, though, and usually gather in small groups of 3 to 30. African spoonbills are shy towards humans and will quickly fly off. Family: Threskiornithidae. Mating Season: Mating season peaks in the dry season from western Africa to the Sudan and mainly in the spring in South Africa. They are Waterbirds. African spoonbills feed during the day. Carnivore - Small fish, shellfish, insects, and aquatic invertebrates such as crayfish and water beetles. You Tube - Opens in new window, ©2020 The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore . African spoonbills eat small fish and aquatic invertebrates. Common Name: Roseate spoonbill. LIFE SPAN: 15 years. RANGE. Special program information for teachers and instructors. The chick feeds by putting its head into the parent’s beak to get regurgitated food. Both parents care for the young, with the female on day shift and the male on night shift. WEIGHT. 120-135 cm. The eggs hatch after 25 to 29 days, and both parents care for the hatchlings for another 3 to 4 weeks until they are ready to leave the nest and be independent. They feed by sweeping the long bill from side to side in the mud or shallow water and thereby catching mostly small fishes and crustaceans. The African spoonbill is a distinctive long-legged wading bird. THE ZOO IS OPEN. Incubation: 25-29 days Its range stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia, south to the Cape Province of South Africa, and western Madagascar. Due to the large flock size, predators are few, but crows, vultures, snakes, and some mammals prey upon the eggs and young. The alarm call is a loud grunt. African spoonbills are vulnerable to a variety of predators, especially when young, but the most general threat to the species is habitat loss due to the drainage of wetlands in some parts of its range. Scientific Name: Platalea alba. Spoonbill, any member of six species of long-legged wading birds that constitute the subfamily Plataleinae of the family Threskiornithidae (order Ciconiiformes), which also includes the ibises. Spoonbill chicks are born with short beaks. ©2001-2019 Safari West Wildlife Preserve and Tent Camp | site: revel. The African Spoonbill has pure white feathers, with red skin on the face, a grayish beak with reddish edges, and bright pink-red legs. They are classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN, the world’s leading conservation organization. Habitat and Range The species population is considered stable and estimated to include between 7,300 and 73,000 mature individuals. They sweep their beaks side to side, or use them to probe the soft mud. The Zoo's monthly newsletter and news updates. HEIGHT. Click to review guidelines & reserve tickets. Mated pairs build flat, oval nests of sticks and reeds situated over or near water on partly submerged trees, in bushes or reeds, or on a rocky ledge. Common Name: African spoonbill. Parents offer them food until they fledge. They are not a very vocal birds. African Spoonbill The African spoonbill starts life with a short bill but within a few short weeks – by the time the young bird leaves the nest and starts to fly – its bill has grown long and distinctively spoon shaped. When they come upon something tasty, like a small fish or a water beetle, they snap it into the spoon of their bill and swallow with a backward jerk of the head.
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