Royal spoonbill fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are royal spoonbills?

The royal spoonbill is a large wading bird with mostly white feathers, long dark legs and a long black bill shaped like a spoon. It belongs to the ibis and spoonbill family. Its scientific name is Platalea regia.

Royal spoonbills search for food in shallow water. They sweep their partly open bills from side to side and feel for small animals. During the breeding season, adults grow long feathers at the back of the head and develop bright patches of colour on the face and wings.

They live in wetlands across eastern and northern Australia, including New South Wales. Royal spoonbills also occur in New Zealand and parts of the western Pacific. Inland birds may move as water levels change, while coastal birds are more settled.

A royal spoonbill

A royal spoonbill in Kakadu National Park.

Where do royal spoonbills live?

Royal spoonbills live around shallow freshwater and saltwater wetlands, tidal mudflats and wet grasslands. They may also use dams, reservoirs, saltfields and other artificial wetlands. Their long legs help them wade through water, but they usually feed in water less than about 40 centimetres deep.

In Australia, they occur across much of the north and east, including NSW. Inland birds can move to find water as conditions change. Royal spoonbills are occasional visitors to Field of Mars Reserve.

Royal spoonbills gather in trees near Barmah Lake in Victoria.

What do royal spoonbills eat?

Royal spoonbills eat small animals found in water. In freshwater they mainly eat fish; on tidal flats they often eat shrimps. They also take other crustaceans and aquatic insects.

A spoonbill feels for prey with touch-sensitive structures inside the tip of its bill. When it catches something, it lifts its bill so the food can slide down its throat. It can feed in murky water and at night as well as during the day.

A royal spoonbill and a little egret feed near a fish at Sydney Olympic Park.

What do royal spoonbills sound like?

Royal spoonbills make grunts, growls and soft honks. They can also snap their bills and make a “wing-woofing” sound during aggressive displays. They are not known for loud, frequent calls, so you may notice their movements before you hear them.

What is the life cycle of royal spoonbills?

Royal spoonbills breed in pairs and often nest in loose colonies with other waterbirds. They build a sturdy bowl-shaped nest from sticks and twigs, lined with leaves and water plants. Nests are usually placed high in a tree over water or among tall reeds and rushes, and may be used again in later years.

Both parents take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks. After leaving the nest, young birds continue to be fed by their parents for several weeks and forage alongside them before the family group separates.

Royal spoonbill eggs in the Museums Victoria collection.

What adaptations do royal spoonbills have to help them survive?

The spoon-shaped bill is a specialised tool for finding food. Royal spoonbills sweep it through shallow water, where sensitive touch receptors help them detect prey even when the water is murky. Their broad bill is shorter and wider than the yellow-billed spoonbill’s bill, which helps them catch some larger prey.

Long legs let them wade through shallows while searching. Their white body and dark bill make them easy to identify, while breeding adults’ head plumes and coloured patches are part of their courtship displays.

A royal spoonbill wades through shallow water.

Why are royal spoonbills important?

Royal spoonbills are part of wetland food webs. By eating fish, shrimps, crustaceans and aquatic insects, they are predators in these habitats. Their need for shallow feeding areas and nesting places also shows why wetlands need a mix of water, muddy edges and vegetation.

Wetlands support many kinds of living things, and water levels change over time. Protecting healthy wetlands helps maintain the feeding, resting and breeding places used by royal spoonbills and other waterbirds.

Royal spoonbills rest in a wetland.

How can you help royal spoonbills?

Help protect wetlands by keeping rubbish, chemicals and garden waste out of drains and waterways. If you visit a wetland, observe birds quietly and keep away from nests and nesting colonies, especially during breeding. You can also record waterbird sightings through the NSW Waterbird Tracker, which helps build information about where waterbirds occur.

An ecologist counts shorebirds on a salt pan on the northern Australian coast.

Related fact sheets

More bird fact sheets

• Bird fact sheets⁠ – Browse fact sheets about birds found in wetlands, bushland and other habitats.
• Australian white ibis fact sheet⁠ – Compare another native waterbird in the ibis and spoonbill family.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Water habitat fact sheet⁠ – Explore places where waterbirds find food, shelter and breeding sites.
• Freshwater wetland ecosystems fact sheet⁠ – Learn how wetland features and food webs support wildlife.
• Estuary environment fact sheet⁠ – Discover tidal habitats with mudflats and shallow water used by waterbirds.

Animals that share this habitat

• Dusky moorhen fact sheet⁠ – Compare a waterbird that lives around wetlands, ponds and creeks.
• Pacific black duck fact sheet⁠ – Learn about another waterbird that feeds in freshwater wetlands.

Field of Mars habitats and wildlife

• Field of Mars Reserve environment fact sheet⁠ – Explore the reserve where royal spoonbills are occasional visitors.

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