Class: AVES

Order: PELECANIFORMES

Family: THRESKIORNITHIDAE

Genus: PLATALEA

Species: ALBA

This species of medium-sized waterbird is one of six species of spoonbill contained in the genus Platalea. The six species of spoonbill are most closely related to the ibises; with which they share the family as a sister-genus to Threskiornis; which contains most of the old-world ibises. The African Spoonbill, the only of the six species to live primarily in Africa, inhabits a wide range across Sub-Saharan Africa; though it is absent from the rainforests of the Congo and Angola. It is also found on the island of Madagascar. Amongst the spoonbills, it has expectedly been found to be of closest relation to the Eurasian Spoonbill; which lives closest to its geographic range. No sub-species for this bird are recognised as of writing.

The African Spoonbill is rather differed morphologically amongst the spoonbills – it is rather stockier than any other; and is slightly outplaced as ‘heaviest spoonbill’ by Australia’s Yellow-billed Spoonbill, P. flavipes, weighing on average about 1.5 kilogrammes; but can weigh up to 2 kilogrammes. Typical of spoonbills, the African spoonbill is almost entirely white in body colouration; having a red, exposed face and red legs. Characteristic of spoonbills, this species possesses a body like most waders; but characterised by a long, spoon-shaped bill, which gave the group its name. The species is about 90 centimetres in height and are a similar length when they assume a horizontal posture. The wingspan, from 120 to 135 centimetres, is also typical amongst the spoonbills. The eye is greyish. The species has webbed feet with three front toes and a back toe on either foot. In flight spoonbills cannot soar for great distances, having to flap often, but remain graceful fliers even so. The sexes are virtually identical.

A wading bird, the African Spoonbill is a regular of such habitats as swamp, lakes, and reservoirs, though it seems to be found exclusively in freshwater – as it is not regularly found in coastal regions. Perhaps the most suitable habitat in Africa for the species was long that of South African’s highveld wetlands, where most sightings were recorded prior to the 1950s, where it was recorded at the Western Cape, and by the end of the century inhabited most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Spoonbills also have a preference for shallow, calm water, where their legs are long enough to allow for wading. The areas in Africa from where it is absent correspond to geographic regions of extreme rainforest or extreme desert; neither of which are ideal habitat. Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest freshwater lake, is 40 metres deep on average; so it also is largely unsuitable habitat. But aside from this it lacks particular preference – and so it is widespread. It is in such areas that it is easily able to find its primary food – which consists of aquatic invertebrates; such as shellfish, crustaceans, and mollusks. Its bill gives its mouth a large area with which it is able to feed, and when it feeds it swings its bill from side to side to pick up such foodstuffs. The inside of the bird’s bottom mandible is slightly hollowed, which allows for the easy consumption of such animals. The bill of the spoonbill contains nerve endings, which easily detect small prey. Young birds have a smaller, more pointed bill – so they mainly feed on larger aquatic invertebrates as well as African Clawed Frogs, Xenopus laevis.

Unlike other large birds of flight, African Spoonbills appear to lack much in the sense of concise movements. They are largely nomadic, though it may have been the construction of artificial wetlands that led its range to expand, as well as the occurrence of natural rain seasons. They are also not largely social birds, occurring mainly in small congregations or as single animals. They come together mainly during the mating season, which occurs typically around winter until spring; but has been recorded to be sporadic. Colonies begin to form at this time, with males being larger, more sedentary and aggressive – whereas females are more submissive and nomadic. To keep a pair together, various courtship displays are enacted – in addition to specific vocalisations. If a male bird accepts a female, then he will give a series of loud calls with his beak upturned, crest erected – this imitated by his mate. Like other members of the ibis family, spoonbills cannot sing elaborate songs; instead producing raspy vocalisations. After several such greetings, mating becomes commonplace between a pair. When the nest is built shortly after, male birds will go to collect material, with females arranging this material into place. Members of the same sex will become aggressive to defend the nest site from rivals. A single nesting site typically contains 20 pairs at most – but especially large groups have been found to have more than 250 different pairs.

The completed nest is unremarkable – an oval nest consisting of sticks and reeds. Nests are typically located in trees close to water. The eggs, which are speckled brown, are incubated for about a month before hatching. The young are hatched without the characteristic spoon-shaped bill, which develops when the bird is about one month old; at which time it fledges from the nest. Where outside the breeding system the bird does not possess a crest, a bushy crest is grown for display during the breeding season. Breeding colonies are shared with various other birds – in Kisumu, Kenya, this is most often represented by the Black-headed Heron, Ardea melanocephala, and in Kersefontein, South Africa by the Cattle Egret, Egretta ibis. African Spoonbills become sexually mature at about 2 years of age; and live up to 17 years.

With a large, apparently expanding range, and ability to resist interference from anthropogenic construction, the African Spoonbill has been assessed by the IUCN as being of ‘Least Concern’ over its entire range, its sexually mature population, which might number as many as 75,000, assessed as stable. But some smaller populations seem to be under threat – with the drainage of swamp occurring in a few areas; as well as the destruction of breeding colonies of Madagascar, making their long-term fate uncertain. Many zoos across the world keep spoonbills in captivity, as they are typically docile as they mix with other birds. Ibises and spoonbills kept in captivity are typically fed on a manufactured floating pellet, which contains lutein, spirulina, and canthaxanthin, natural carotenoids which allow for the bird’s colour to be of a natural state. For extra taste, they are also coated with fish oil.