BirdUp · Species
Royal Spoonbill
Platalea regiaGould, 1838
- Order
- PELECANIFORMES
- Family
- Threskiornithidae
- Genus
- Platalea
- Commonness
- Very common
- Best seen
- Year-round
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
The royal spoonbill, also known as the black-billed spoonbill lives in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It has also been recorded as a vagrant in New Caledonia. It is one of 6 spoonbill species world wide. The royal spoonbill lives in wetlands and feeds on crustaceans, fish and small insects by sweeping its bill from side to side. It always flies with its head extended. Widespread throughout its large range, the royal spoonbill is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
02 · Where
Where to find it
- Breeding range
- South-central New Guinea, Australia, Tasmania, coastal North and South Is. (New Zealand)
- Non-breeding range
- To Java, Sulawesi, Moluccas, Tasmania, south Solomon Is. and New Caledonia
03 · When
When to look
Months this species is recorded across its Australian range.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
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