Animalia Life

Ajaia ajaja
SUBFAMILY
Plataleinae
TAXONOMY
Ajaia ajaja Linnaeus, 1758, Brazil. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Pink curlew, rosy spoonbill; French: Spatule rosйe; German: Rosalцffler; Spanish: Espбtula Rosada.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
31 in (80 cm); 3.3 lbs (1,500 g). The only pink spoonbill.
DISTRIBUTION
Range covers most of South America, excluding some western areas such as Chile, most of Argentina, and almost all of Peru. Also Central American nations up to northern Mexico and east along the Gulf Coast to Louisiana and Florida. Also occurs in Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
HABITAT
Mangrove stands, lagoons, swamps, rivers, lakes, and ponds.
BEHAVIOR
Roseate spoonbills are colonial birds but are nonetheless territorial, with the male staking out and defending nesting areas. Unlike some members of its family, the roseate spoonbill sometimes feeds at night. The birds fly with neck and legs ex- tended, flapping the wings and then gliding. The flight is described as more leisurely than that of ibises.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Primarily small fish, although other types of small aquatic prey, such as crayfish and crustaceans, are also taken. Like the nominate species of spoonbill, the roseate spoonbill swings its flattened beak from side to side, disturbing prey species. When the sensitive nerve endings in the inner linings of the bill report contact, the bill claps shut. The birds toss their heads backward to swallow prey.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Roseate spoonbills nest in colonies. Copulation takes place on the nest, which is loosely woven of sticks and twigs. Eggs are laid at the rate of one every two days. Clutch size averages three eggs, and incubation lasts an average of 22–23 days. Hatchlings have pink skin covered with short, sparse white down.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Currently, the roseate spoonbill is not threatened. Before World War II, the species suffered a considerable decline in the areas of its range populated by humans, due to hunting for meat and feathers as well as habitat destruction. At one point, the population in the United States may have numbered as few as 20 to 25 nesting pairs. Before modern conservation efforts began on the species’ behalf, safety was afforded only by the remote areas of South and Central America.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Once widely hunted for plumes and meat, the birds today have no economic significance.

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