Eurasian spoonbill

The Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), or common spoonbill, is a wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The genus name Platalea is from Latin and means 'broad', referring to the distinctive shape of the bill, and leucorodia is from Ancient Greek leukerodios 'spoonbill', itself derived from leukos, 'white' and erodios 'heron'. In England it was traditionally known as the 'shovelard', a name later used for the Northern Shoveller. A study of mitochondrial DNA of the spoonbills found that the Eurasian spoonbill is sister taxon to a clade containing the royal and black-faced spoonbills. The Eurasian spoonbill has three subspecies: Birds in Asia are sometimes separated as P. l. major. This species is almost unmistakable in most of its range. The breeding bird is all white except for its dark legs, black bill with a yellow tip, and a yellow breast patch like a pelican. It has a crest in the breeding season. Non-breeders lack the crest and breast patch, and immature birds have a pale bill and black tips to the primary flight feathers. Unlike herons, spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched. The Eurasian spoonbill differs from the African spoonbill with which in overlaps in winter, in that the latter species has a red face and legs, and no crest.