The Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), a large wading bird with pink plumage and a distinctive spatulate bill, is one of the most striking birds found in America – it occurs from the Gulf Coast of the United States to Argentina. Roseate Spoonbill numbers declined in the early 1800s when the wings of this beautiful creature were made into fans. Their pink colour is a result of eating crustaceans that have fed on algae. The Roseate Spoonbill uses the bill and its fine comb-like filters in the cutting area of the bill to strain the mud of various small food stuffs.
