spoonbill

American  

[spoon-bil] / ˈspunˌbɪl /

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.

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spoonbill British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of spoonbill

First recorded in 1670–80; spoon + bill ²

Example Sentences

Activists are suing to stop it, pointing out that the site still provides habitat for endangered species like black-faced spoonbills and Far Eastern curlews.

From National Geographic

"Now we can officially celebrate the return of a former lost breeding species to the Broadland landscape with the first fledged spoonbill here since the mid-17th Century," he added.

From BBC

His advice for birders hoping to see the roseate spoonbill is to not look for the bird, but to look for the hoards of people carrying cameras and spotting scopes.

From Seattle Times

Summer rains swelled the shallow inland sea, creating seasonal overflows that sustained the Everglades and its alligators, panthers, spoonbills and snail kites.

From Seattle Times

You will see dolphins, terns, maybe even a roseate spoonbill.

From Salon