1 
Order ARDEIF0RME8 
Family PLATALEIDM, 
No. 229. 
SPATHERODIA REGIA. 
BLACK-BILLED SPOONBILL. 
(Plate 180.)* 
Platalea begia Gould, Synops. Birds Austr., pt. iv., App., p. 7, 1838 ; New South 
Wales. 
Platalea regia Gould, Synops. Birds Austr., pt. iv., App., p. 7, 1838 ; id., Birds Austr., 
Vol. VI., pi. 60, 1842 ; id., Handb. Birds Austr., Vol. II., p. 287, 1865 ; BuUer, 
Trans. New Zeal. Inst. 1876, Vol. IX., p. 337, 1877 ; id., Trans. New Zeal. Inst. 
1895, Vol. XXVIII., p. 349, 1896 ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXVI., 
p. 47, 1898 ; Campbell, Nests and Eggs Austr. Birds, p. 946, 1901 ; Le Souef, 
Emu, Vol. II., p. 95, 1902 ; Carter, ih., Vol. III., p. 210, 1904 ; Hartert, Nov. 
Zool., Vol. XII., p. 203, 1905 ; HaU, Key Birds Austr., p. 97, 1906 ; Iredale, 
Trans. New Zeal. Inst. 1906, Vol. XXXIX., p. 137, 1907 ; Bemey, Emu, 
Vol. VI,, p, 115, 1907 ; Mathews, Handl. Birds Austral., p. 31, 1908 ; Ingram, 
Ibis 1909, p. 616 ; Mathews, Emu, Vol. IX., p. 66, 1909 ; id., ih., Vol. X., p. 104, 
1910 ; North, Austr. Mus. Sp. Cat., no. 1, Vol. IV., p. 12, 1913. 
Spatherodia melanorhynchos Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. Vogel., p. xvi., 1852 (New South 
Wales). 
Spatherodia re^ia Bonaparte, Comptes Rendus Sci. (Paris), Vol. XL., p. 724, 1855 ; 
Mathews, List Birds Austr., p. 78, 1913. 
Platalea melanorhynchus Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Av., Vol. II., p. 148, 1855 ; Ramsay, 
Tab. List Austr. Birds, p. 20, 1888 ; BuUer, Birds New Zeal., 2nd. ed., Vol. II., 
p. 144, 1888 ; Ogilvie-Grant, Ibis 1889, p. 48 ; Cox and Hamilton, Proc. Linn. 
Soc. N.S.W., Ser. II., Vol. IV., p. 420, 1889 ; North, ih., Vol. X., p. 218, 1895. 
Platalea regia regia Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 228, 1912. 
Platalea regia stalkeri Mathews, ih., p. 229 (Northern Territory). 
Distbibution. AustraUa generaUy (except the South-west ?). 
Adult male, in hreeding-plumage. General colour white, both above and below, with 
a white nuchal crest ; biU black, the patch on the fore-head and above each 
eye orange-colour ; iris dark red ; feet black. Total length 860 mm. ; culmen 
220, wing 356, tail 113, tarsus 129, 
Adult male, in winter-plumage. Differs from the summer-dress only by the absence of 
the nuchal crest. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male but smaUer. 
* The Plate is lettered Platalea regia, 
400 
I 
