Super Duper Spoonbill

My lovely readers hope the weekend is treating you well, take out a camera and visit any place nearby and take a few clicks, trust me it will be fun. Be it street photo, birds, or animal anything but something unique from daily routine will give you a different level of satisfaction. Do try once and share your experience on btwildart@gmail.com

So are you ready for today’s topic? I guess everyone would be lazy to start the weekend hence by the time you get charged up let me be ready with the topic to serve you on time. Album suggests me to go for bird today so I search Bharatpur and City folder to find some interesting bird for you while searching both the folders I found Spoonbill in both folders and immediately I decided to go for it. Did you notice one thing? I found a bird in both folders Bharatpur to Mumbai, this is what I wanted to highlight, the bird is common but with uncommon habits. So get set go to meet the bird in the next section.

The spoon story

The connection with the bird started from Bharatpur visit, the place where I notice this bird for the first time. During this visit due to the low water level, we were just lucky to sight the bird but were not so lucky to see various activities of this bird. Even though we had a very small encounter with spoonbill but it still got registered in mind because of its unique bill pattern, which helped me to identify the bird in my routine birding at a wetland near Vashi. I was surprised to see spoonbills in good numbers near home believe me it was like a treat to watch. It was morning time with full-on fishing activity.

This was the first time I saw spoonbills active on fishing it was impressive and attractive; they were in a group and moving continuously all around to find a fish. The way they used to move everywhere it was funny. Until they find a fish, they keep bill submerged in the water, they keep walking across the water with the bill inside with very quick speed, it gives an impression that they are dancing and not fishing. After few attempts, they somehow manage to catch a fish and gulp it inside through it long spoon patterned bill. I almost spent an hour with them and had the best time ever, this made me crazy hence I make sure that I visit this place every week which offers something unique every time. I am sure you will co-relate the story when you visit the DSLR section.

The Facts effect

Now it is time to know the details of the bird, the behavior, the pattern, the food habits and reason of name “Spoonbill”

Spoonbills are a genus, Platalea of large, long-legged wading birds, the genus name Platalea derives from Latin and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the bill. The Shape of the bill is similar to the shape of a spoon, check out DSLR section to cross-check with a spoon 😂😂

All spoonbills have large, flat, wider bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side

The moment any small aquatic creature touches the inside of the bill—an insect, crustacean, or tiny fish it is snapped shut. Spoonbills generally prefer fresh water to salt but are found in both environments. They need to feed many hours each day

Many time people consider spoonbill as Ibis because both have bare patches of skin around the bills and eyes but in reality, it is not the same. The spoonbills are most distinct from the ibises in the shape of their bill, which is long, flat, and wider at the end but they has similarities as well, Like the ibises, the spoonbills have bare patches of skin around the bills and eyes

The nostrils are located near the base of the bill so that the bird can breathe while the bill is submerged in water. The eyes are positioned to provide spoonbills with binocular vision, although when foraging tactile senses are important too

Spoonbills are monogamous, but, so far as is known, only for one season at a time. Most species nest in trees or reed beds, often with ibises or herons

The female lays a clutch of about three smooth, oval, white eggs and both parents incubate; chicks hatch one at a time rather than all together. The newly hatched young are blind and cannot care for themselves immediately; both parents feed them by partial regurgitation. Chicks' bills are short and straight, and only gain the characteristic spoonbill shape as they mature

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