Roseate Spoonbill

Nicknamed the “Flame Bird” by R. P. Allen (Allen 1947b), and known locally as pink, pinky, or pink curlew, the Roseate Spoonbill is unmistakable and one of North America's most unusual looking wading birds. Its plumage is truly flamboyant, combining a pink body with carmine red on the wings and tail-coverts with a rich tawny, almost orange, tail. The bill is shaped like a spatula, giving this species its name. The Roseate Spoonbill is one of 6 species of spoonbills worldwide, the only one found in the New World, and the only spoonbill that has brilliantly colored plumage; the others are chiefly white. It is also the only spoonbill whose head becomes completely unfeathered and colorful as the bird matures.