Along with the Reddish Egret, the Roseate Spoonbill is another Gulf Coast favorite. I don’t think you could call it a beautiful bird – not with that almost bare white head, beady eyes, and gray spatulate bill, but it certainly is striking. Also, it's big (always a plus for photographers) and it’s pink, bright pink!  How can you not love it?

Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja)Spoonbill searching the shallow waters of Fort DeSoto for fish or small crustaceans

In evening light on dark water, it is even more striking:

Roseate Spoonbills at sunsetA pair of spoonbills at sunset, Saratoga Bay, Florida

The Spoonbill feeds in shallow water by swinging its bill back and forth in the water, using its “spoon” to sift for insects, frogs, small crustaceans or fish. Below, this Spoonbill has captured a small crab.

Roseate Spoonbill catching a small crabSpoonbill extracts a small crab from the shallows, Fort DeSoto, Florida