Mystery Bird: Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea (Ajaia) ajaj

tags: , , , ,

[Mystery birds] Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaia ajaj, photographed at Tom Bass Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]

Image: Joseph Kennedy, 20 March 2009 [larger view].

Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.

Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.

Review all mystery birds to date.

More like this

This is a summary of several of the better books I’ve had the opportunity to review here, organized in general categories.
tags: conservation, endangered species,
Family Guy, S07E02 'I Dream of Jesus': Peter: Brian, can I see that paper for a sec? (Brian gives Peter the paper. Peter peruses the paper.) Peter: Huh... that's odd... I thought that would big news.

Roseate Spoonbill? Field marks - the pink color of the body coupled with the whitish neck, and the spoon-shaped bill.

Roseate spoonbill. Long legs, pink color of body. But most of all the long, flat bill indicates a roseate spoonbill.

Those are funny birds to watch feed.

Finally one I knew right off and Robyn and Hollie beat me to it. The color and the bill are both give-aways.

Great camera angle. This would be a "'tocks" shot on Cute Overload.

By Quiet Desperation (not verified) on 28 Apr 2009 #permalink

This is actually the Texas Inversabird. By some strange freak of evolution, its head is where its tail should be and vice-versa, as you can see in the photo. The ass-backward nature of the bird is why it has become the emblem of the Texas Board of Education.

Healthwise, the bird is obviously in the pink.