Birds and wildlife

Spoonbill

Platalea leucorodiaGroup: Herons, storks and ibisesUK Conservation status:Amber

How to identify

Spoonbills are tall white waterbirds with long broad black bills and black legs. They fly with necks and legs extended. In the water, they feed with elegant sideward sweeps of their bill. In the breeding season, adults show some yellow on their chest and bill tip. The species is of European conservation concern and a very rare breeding bird in the UK. They're listed are listed on Schedule 1 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act, making it illegal to disturb these birds. Most birds migrate south in the winter, but many individuals remain and spend winter in Western Europe.

Spoonbill breeding success

Spoonbills are on track for another successful year, with birds breeding at multiple RSPB nature reserves across the UK, demonstrating how habitat management plays a vital role in nature conservation. 

Learn more 

Key

  1. Resident
  2. Passage
  3. Summer
  4. Winter
* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Where best to see them

Key facts