PLATALEA. 518 



Genus PLATALEA. 



The Genus Platalea was included by Linnaeus in 1766 in the twelfth 

 edition of his ' Systema Naturae' (i. p. 231), and the Common Spoonbill 

 (the Platea platea of Brisson) is unquestionably the type. 



The birds in this genus are easily distinguished by the form of the bill, 

 which is very broad, long, thin, and dilated at the extremity, like a spoon 

 or spatule. Their tarsus is covered with fine reticulations all round ; the 

 face and throat are sometimes bare of feathers ; the legs are long and 

 rather slender ; the nostrils are subbasal and placed in a groove partly 

 closed by a membrane ; the tail is short and even, and consists of twelve 

 feathers. 



This genus contains only four or five species, which are distributed 

 throughout the temperate and tropical portions of both hemispheres, 

 with the exception of the smaller islands. One species is European, which is 

 an accidental straggler to the British Islands. 



The Spoonbills frequent marshy coasts, large swamps, and the borders 

 of lakes and streams, where they wade or walk about in search of the 

 frogs, aquatic insects, worms, &c. on which they feed. They are said to 

 even dive or swim in search of food. They have no note, but make a 

 snapping sound with their bill. Their flight is graceful and buoyant. 

 They are shy and wary birds, and are ever on the look out for danger. 

 They breed either on the ground or in trees in their marshy haunts, 

 making a large nest of sticks and coarse aquatic vegetation ; and their eggs 

 are dull white, sparingly spotted and blotched with reddish brown. 



VOL. II 2 L 



