Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

Unmistakable with its bright pink plumage, bald greenish head, and spatula-shaped bill, the Roseate Spoonbill looks almost too exotic for North America. Found in coastal marshes of the Gulf states, Caribbean, and South America, it sweeps its flattened bill side-to-side through shallow water to catch small aquatic prey. Like flamingos, its pink color comes from carotenoids in its diet.