Spoonbill
Spoonbills belong to the family of large, long-legged wading birds in
the family Threskiornithidae, Ibises are also
included.
These birds also feed through low waters; they possess large, flat, bills
that look like the spatula. They search for their prey by sweeping their
partly opened bill from side to side. If any small aquatic creature touches
the inside of the bill—an insect, crustacean, or tiny fish, they
close their bill immediately. Spoonbills feed for long hours each day,
they live in both fresh and as well as salt water, but they prefer the
fresh water more.
These birds are considered to be monogamous but this happens, only for one season at a time. They often group with Ibises or Herons and live in trees or red reeds. The males and the females build different kinds of nest, the male gathers nesting material—mostly sticks and reeds, sometimes it collects from an old nest—the female weaves it into a large, low bowl or platform, this structure varies greatly according to each species.
3 smooth, ovals, white eggs are laid by the female and both parents incubate; chicks hatch one at a time. Since the newly hatched baby birds are blind, they cannot care for themselves immediately; both parents feed them by taking turns. The Chick sports a short and straight bill afterwards they obtain the characteristic spoonbill shape as they mature. Their feeding continues for a few weeks longer after the family leaves the nest.