Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Platalea flavipes
Threskiornithidae
The unusual spatula-shaped bill of the Yellow-billed Spoonbill is a feeding adaption which allows the bird to specialise in foraging for invertebrates in deep, muddy water. Instead of searching for food by looking for it, the sensitive tip of the spoonbill’s bill allows the bird to feel for its food instead. The spoonbill walks through the water, sweeping its bill from side to side in a series of arcs or crescent-shaped movements, and when it detects a small creature it is quickly grabbed and swallowed.