Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America

The book that made American bird-watching possible in the field: keys, plumages, songs and habits for every species of the East, by the man who ran ornithology at the American Museum.

HomeO › Order Herodiones

Order Herodiones

HERONS, STORKS, IBISES, ETC.

FAMILY PLATALEIDE.

SPOONBILLS.

The Spoonbills inhabit the warmer parts of the world. Only one of the five or six species is found in America. They frequent the IBISES. shores both on the seacoast and in the interior. They are generally found in flocks and they nest in colonies. Spoonbills have the general habits of Herons, but feed by immersing the bill and swinging it from side to side in their search for food. 183. Ajaja ajaja (Linn.). ROSEATE SPOONBILL; PINK CURLEW. (See Fig. 21.) Ad.-Head and throat bare, neck and upper back white, sometimes tinged with pink; sides of the breast in front of the wings and end half of tail ochraceous-buff; rest of plumage pink; lengthened feathers at the base of the neck darker; lesser wing-coverts, upper and under tail-coverts carmine. Im. Similar, but head and throat feathered, ochraceous-buff and carmine of the adult replaced by pink. L., 32.00; W., 14.50; Tar., 4.00; B., 6ยท25.

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