spoonbill

[ spoon-bil ]

noun

1. any of several wading birds of the family Plataleidae, related to the ibises, having a long, flat bill with a spoonlike tip.
2. any of various birds having a similar bill, as the shoveler duck.
3. the paddlefish.

spoonbill

/ ˈspuːnˌbɪl /

noun

1. any of several wading birds of warm regions, such as Platalea leucorodia ( common spoonbill ) and Ajaia ajaja ( roseate spoonbill ), having a long horizontally flattened bill: family Threskiornithidae, order Ciconiiformes

Word History and Origins

Origin of spoonbill¹

First recorded in 1670–80; spoon + bill ²

Example Sentences

So the Prince gave her back her shift, and she immediately turned into a spoonbill and flew away after her companions.

From Project Gutenberg

Among them, the scarlet ibis and roseate spoonbill excelled all others in gorgeousness of colouring.

From Project Gutenberg

The white ibis (Ibis melanocephala) is another wading bird, rather smaller than the spoonbill and with considerably shorter legs.

From Project Gutenberg

The beak is flattened laterally, that is in a plane at right angles to that of a Spoonbill or Duck.

From Project Gutenberg

Joseph Dixon implies that the eggs resemble those of the spoonbill sandpiper.

From Project Gutenberg