Common name: Eurasian Spoonbill
Scientific name: Platalea leucorodia
Family: Threskiornithidae

Size:
Body length: 80–93 cm
Wingspan: 120–135 cm
Weight: 1.2–2 kg

Identification:
A large, elegant white wading bird with a long neck and a distinctive spatula-shaped bill, which is black with a yellow tip. In breeding plumage, it develops a yellowish breast patch and a crest of elongated feathers on the back of the head. In flight, it appears entirely white with broad wings and a steady, graceful wingbeat.

Habitat:
Shallow wetlands, lagoons, mudflats, estuaries, saltpans, and coastal areas. Prefers calm, shallow water for feeding.

Status in the UAE:
Common winter visitor and passage migrant. Regularly observed in coastal wetlands and protected areas.

Diet:
Carnivorous — feeds on small fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and other invertebrates.

Behavior:
Often feeds by sweeping its bill side-to-side through shallow water to detect prey by touch. Usually seen in groups or loose flocks. Flies with neck outstretched (unlike herons). Social and often roosts communally.

Conservation status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)