Yellow-billed Spoonbill

Yellow-billed spoonbills are water birds.
They have a long yellow beak shaped like a spoon.
They have long yellow legs.
They live near water.
They eat insects that live in and near the water.

Appearance
The Yellow-billed Spoonbills are large white waterbirds. The yellow bill is long and spoon-shaped at the tip, and the long legs and feet are yellow. During the breeding season the skin on the face is outlined with a black line, long feather hackles grow on the chest, and black lacy plumes appear on the outer wings. At other times, the face is yellow and the lacy wing tips and hackles disappear.

Habitat and Distribution (where they are found)
Yellow-billed Spoonbills are found over most of Australia, especially in the north and in areas with water. It is less often found along the coast. They are found in shallow fresh water in wetlands, dams, swamps and lagoons.

Behaviours
They move around rather than stay in one location, and even travel to King Island, Kangaroo Island and Tasmania. They are almost silent, mostly making sound by clapping their beaks. Because the bill is long, the bird feels for prey along the bottom of the water. The spoon part of the bill is very sensitive and feels prey even in the dark or in murky water.

Diet
They feed mainly on aquatic insects and larvae, but also eat molluscs, crustaceans, small fish, tadpoles and frogs. Once food is caught, the bird lifts its bill and the food slides down its throat.

Life Cycle
Breeding occurs between July and November in the south, and between March and May in the north. Yellow-billed Spoonbills often nest in groups with other waterbirds such as ibis or the other kind of spoonbill, the Royal Spoonbill. The female builds a nest from materials collected by the male. The nest is made high in the fork of a tree over water or a shallow platform of sticks and rushes among reed beds. Usually two to four eggs are laid, and both male and female share the incubation and caring for the chicks.

Conservation Status
Yellow-billed Spoonbills are classified as secure... not endangered or vulnerable.

Information adapted from a text by Michael Dyson, with his permission

If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Thomas, R. & Sydenham, S. Yellow-billed Spoonbill [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2008)

Updated September 2008 © kidcyber