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education: birds of georgia Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaia ajaja
Status: Uncommon non-breeding visitant to southern Coast, rare north of Darien, 25 Mar (2000) - 25 Oct (1998). Since the late 1990's, numbers have increased in the state, perhaps due to drought conditions in FL where the species is more numerous or to a true range expansion. In the early 1990's, sightings were less common than at present (2007). High counts of 60 birds 8 Oct 2001 and 55 birds 26 August 2006 are from Andrews Island impoundment (Glynn). There are several scattered accidental reports from Coast in winter. More unusual are three records from Piedmont and two from Mountains in early fall (Beaton 2003). Habitat: Coastal marshes, lagoons and mudflats for feeding mostly at low tide; roosts in live oak trees and other larger trees near water at high tide. In FL, nests in red mangroves and along Gulf Coast in LA and TX in willow, mesquite and salt-cedar. Forages in shallow water with muddy bottom in both salt and fresh water as well as in tidal ponds (Kaufman 1996). In GA, forages on mud flats in spartina marshes and in tidal creeks. Diet: Mostly small fish such as minnows and aquatic invertebrates such as shrimp, crayfish, crabs, beetles, mollusks and slugs. Eats some plant material including roots and stems of sedges (Kaufman 1996). Identification: Adult breeding: Sexually monomorphic; body feathers pink with deep red patch on wing; neck, throat and upper back white. Black band on head behind auricular area. Head covered with greenish bare skin. Iris is red. Spatulate bill is grayish. Legs are reddish. Underwings deep pink. Uppertail coverts a deeper pink than tail feathers. Second Year: No red patch on wing and no black on head, but body feathers pink. Juvenile: Very pale pinkish body feathers; upper back, neck, head and breast white. Bill grayish. Pale overall. In flight, shows dusky wing tips. Conservation: Very common in parts of southeast until 1860's when plume hunters virtually wiped them out. Recolonization of TX and FL occurred early in 20 th Century, but the species has never fully recovered. Still uncommon and local throughout its North American range. Vulnerable to the destruction of its feeding and nesting habitat by oil spills, hurricane damage, development and other causes (Kaufman 1996).
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