spoonbill

The roseate spoonbill, native to the USA, was driven to the brink of extinction by humans in the late 1800s. Spoonbills were killed for their feathers, which were used in fans, millinery, and screens; they were also killed to provide meat for fishermen and American Indians. Protective laws and sanctuaries, and a change in the attitude of the public, meant that by the mid-20th century there was some recovery in their numbers.

Any of several large wading birds of the ibis family Threskiornithidae, order Ciconiiformes, characterized by a long, flat bill, dilated at the tip in the shape of a spoon. Spoonbills are white or pink, and up to 90 cm/3 ft tall. Their feet are adapted for wading, and the birds obtain their food, consisting chiefly of fish, frogs, molluscs, and crustaceans, from shallow water.

The roseate spoonbill Ajaia ajaja of North and South America is found in shallow open water, which it sifts for food.

The black-faced spoonbill is facing extinction with an estimated world population of 772, mostly in Taiwan.