THE ROSEATE SPOONBILL 



(Aiaja a/a fa.) 



In the words of Audubon "the Ros 

 eate Spoonbill is to be met with, for the 

 most part, along the marshy or muddy 

 borders of estuaries, the mouths of riv^ 

 ers, on sea islands, or keys partially 

 overgrown with bushes, and still more 

 abundantly along the shores of the salt 

 water bayous so common within a mile 

 or two of the shore. There it can reside 

 and breed, with almost complete security, 

 in the midst of an abundance of food." 

 I find that these words, quoted from the 

 "Water Birds of North America," very 

 truthfully describe the home of this bird. 

 Its range extends from the southern At 

 lantic and Gulf States southward to the 

 Falkland Islands and Patagonia. Its 

 range at one time, many years ago, ex 

 tended northward in the Mississippi Val 

 ley to southern Illinois. 



When I first saw these Spoonbills it al 

 most seemed as if Nature had made some 

 mistake in the creation of this grotesque 

 combination of an almost repulsive look 

 ing head and the exquisite shading of 

 crimson and pink of the plumage on its 

 graceful body. In studying the Spoon 

 bill in life, as it wades in the shallow 

 pools in the bayous and salt marshes, one 

 is surprised at the wonderful dexterity 

 with which it uses its light spoon-shaped 

 bill. It is a persistent and rapid worker, 

 moving its bill from side to side on the 

 surface of the muddy bottom for small 

 mollusks and sea weeds. It is amusing 

 to see the Spoonbills at times walking one 

 behind the other, and often the one in 

 front is pushed ahead causing it to go 

 through sundry antics, and occasionally 

 the maneuvers end in, a fight. The an 

 tics of these birds are so interesting that 

 I am afraid that my engagement in 

 watching them has often caused me to 

 neglect work in other lines of nature 

 study. 



The lonely bayous between Brazos, 

 Texas, and Matagorda Bay are excellent 

 places to observe the habits of this and 

 many other species of birds. If one is 

 so fortunate as to find a locality where 

 the birds have not been molested, a light 

 blind may be erected within a few feet 

 of the water's edge and all of the waders 

 may be decoyed to close range. The nu 

 merous bayous along the Gulf coast 

 widen out inland forming large lakes 

 which are left bare, or nearly so, by the 

 out-going tide. One of the most beauti 

 ful sights I ever witnessed, while in my 

 blind, was a time when I had a large 

 flock of white-faced glossy ibises, wood 

 ibises, snowy herons and Roseate Spoon 

 bills all within fifty yards from me. The 

 combination was dazzling. The Spoon 

 bills and the glossy ' ibises would sail in 

 and away at an easy angle, while the 

 wood ibises would circle and sail until 

 almost out of sight. 



The Spoonbills are always gregarious 

 at all seasons in coveys of a half dozen 

 or more. "At the approach of the breed 

 ing season these small flocks collect to 

 gether, forming immense collections, 

 after the manner of the ibis, and resort 

 to their former breeding-places, to which 

 they almost invariably return. In flight 

 the Spoonbills resemble the herons with 

 easy flappings of the wings. Their necks 

 are thrown forward to their full length 

 and their legs are stretched out behind. 

 They seem to depend on the herons, with 

 which they associate, for warning of any 

 approaching danger, for the herons are 

 very vigilant and watchful. 



The three to five white eggs which 

 are spotted with shades of olive-brown 

 are laid in a nest which is a mere 

 platform of sticks built in bushes, chiefly 

 the mangrove, or in small trees. 



FRANK MORLEY WOODRUFF. 



