~ Written by ABNC Volunteer David Ozro Woods. David is a PhD student of Ecology & Evolution at the University of Houston. He has a bachelor's degree in Natural Resources: Conservation Biology with minors in Marine Science and Plant Science.

Roseate spoonbills are a social bird that lives in salt and freshwater marshy habitats throughout  South and Central America and up to the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is the only  spoonbill species found in the Americas. 

They group in small flocks and associate with other wading birds. They feed in shallow, muddy  waters and, like flamingos, get their pink coloration from the foods that they eat, which include  crustaceans, other invertebrates, and small fish. Its spoonbill allows it to sift easily through  mud. 

They nest in colonies with egrets, ibises, and herons. Nesting habitat tends to be on islands  that have trees and large shrubs near the water. Clutch size is typically 1-5 eggs that are pale  white to light green covered with brown spots. They incubate for 22 days and are nestlings for  35-42 days after that. 

Roseate spoonbills are listed as being of “least concern,” and are common in Florida, Texas,  and Louisiana.; however, they are vulnerable to habitat degradation. They were very common  in the southeastern USA until the 1860s until hunting drove them to local extinction. They  began to recolonize the southeastern USA in the early 1900s.  

Further reading: 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Roseate_Spoonbill/overview 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/roseate-spoonbill 

https://www.audubon.org/news/oldest-known-roseate-spoonbill-identified-thanks-lucky photograph