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spoonbill

American

[spoon-bil] / ˈspunˌbɪl /

noun

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

spoonbill British

/ ˈspuːnˌbɪl /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of spoonbill

First recorded in 1670–80; spoon + bill ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

spoonbill

The Franco-Belgian couturier referenced the extravagant plumage of a roseate spoonbill or the crested cockatoo alongside the humble crow, grey pigeon and magpie.

From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026

"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 ● Aug. 8, 2023

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

From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2023

Also, an African spoonbill chick builds a special bond with his keeper in this new episode.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2021

Its nest, its pallet, was of every kind of precious feather— Of lovely cotinga feathers, roseate spoonbill feathers, quetzal feathers.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023