Spoonbill
Scientific Name: Platalea leucorodiaMaltese Name: Paletta
Family: Spoonbills and Ibisis (Threskiornithidae)
Occurence: Very Scarce Migrant
Breeds in Malta: No
Overview:
This species is almost unmistakable. The breeding bird is all white except for its dark legs, black bill with a yellow tip, and a yellow breast patch like a pelican. It has a crest in the breeding season. The Spoonbills, as their name suggests, have a large, flat, spatulate 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. The Eurasian Spoonbill occurs in marshy wetlands with some open shallow water, nesting in colonies in trees or reedbeds.
Status:
Very Scarce migrant. Most records are of singles resting in Ghadira Nature Reserve but occasionally seen in flocks, migrating. On 8th April 2003 a flock of 17 spent a morning in the resereve. One of these Spoonbills had a spanish ring. In January of the following year, 2 Spoonbills spent nearly a week at the reserve but poachers broke-in at night and killed both Spoonbills. An adult Spoonbill with a spanish ring was at Ghadira on 10th March 2009.
When to See:
Mostly seen from March till May and September till October but it is recorded in nearly every month of the year.
Where to See:
Mostly seen at Ghadira Nature Reserve during migration. Some may be seen on migration from anywhere, mostly from the coast.
Photographs:
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| Adult Spoonbill, Ghadira, 21st February 2010 |
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| Adult Spoonbill, Ghadira, 11th October 2005 | Spoonbill with a flock of Black-winged Stilts, Ghadira, 27th March 2008 |
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| Adult Spoonbill, Ghadira, 21st February 2010 |
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| Adult Spoonbill with spanish ring, Ghadira, 10th March 2009 |
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| 2 Spoonbills, MIA, 28th December 2009 | Spoonbill. Simar, 5th June 2005 |
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| 17 Spoonbills, Ghadira, 8th April 2003 |
Watch a Video of the Spoonbill:
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