Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja)
© 2006 - Walter Bauer - San Antonio, Texas
(Click on picture to enlarge)
Field Marks: A pink wading bird that has a flat spoon like bill. Adults are bright pink with blood-red "drip" along their shoulders. They have an orange tail. The head is naked and is a greenish gray.
Voice: A low grunting croak around nesting areas.
Where found: The Gulf coasts of Chile; Argentina.
Texas: Resident (rare in the winter) along the coast. Is a straggler to inner cities such as Dallas and Fort Worth. These birds breed locally along the central and eastern Texas coast. Occasionally they come inland to cities such as Eagle Lake or Bay City).
Nest: They make a platform of sticks in a bush or tree. They breed in a colony on an island or in a swamp. They lay 1-4 white eggs.