Roseate Spoonbill

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Roseate Spoonbill in Washington?

Rare. Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Roseate Spoonbill sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 795 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 161st most-seen of the 267 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Roseate Spoonbill in Washington?

July. In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Roseate Spoonbill in Washington on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Roseate Spoonbill?

Between 8 and 11 am. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Roseate Spoonbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Washington the best place to see a Roseate Spoonbill?

22nd of 26. Of the 26 cities where we can rate Roseate Spoonbill sightings, Washington ranks 22nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Mesa (United States, about 20%), Guayaquil (Ecuador, about 20%) and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia, about 10%).

Q: Where does the Roseate Spoonbill sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Roseate Spoonbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Washington (795 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Platalea ajaja

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies)
FamilyThreskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills)
GenusPlatalea (Spoonbills)
SpeciesPlatalea ajaja (Roseate Spoonbill)

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

at Washington

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

795 Verified sightings at Washington

18,453 In all 36 parks From 2019 to 2026

July Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

Challenge Everglades Icons North AmericaMedium

About the Roseate Spoonbill

The roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is a social wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in both South and North America. The roseate spoonbill's pink color is diet-derived, consisting of the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin, like the American flamingo.

The roseate spoonbill was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the current binomial name Platalea ajaja. Linnaeus largely based his account on the "Aiaia" that had been described and illustrated over a century earlier by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave in his book Historia Naturalis Brasiliae. Linnaeus specified the type locality as South America but this is now restricted to Brazil. The genus name Platalea is Latin and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the bill; the specific epithet ajaja is from the name for the species in the Tupi language as reported by Marcgrave. The species is treated as monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

The roseate spoonbill is sometimes placed in its own genus – Ajaia. A 2010 study of mitochondrial DNA of the spoonbills by Chesser and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:06

United States · 2018

Call0:13

Brazil · 2020

Call0:52

Brazil · 2004

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 106 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge	🇺🇸 United States	~50%
2	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~50%
3	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~50%
4	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~40%
5	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	~40%
6	Ciénaga de Zapata	🇨🇺 Cuba	~30%
7	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~30%
8	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
9	Iberá National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~20%
10	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
11	El Impenetrable National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~10%
12	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
13	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
14	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
15	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
16	El Palmar National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	~10%
17	Jaragua National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	~10%
18	Padre Island National Seashore	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
19	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
20	Manu National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
21	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
22	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
23	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
24	Lago de Yojoa	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
25	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
26	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
27	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
28	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
29	Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
30	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
31	Tayrona National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
32	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
33	Tijuca National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
34	Tenorio Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
35	Iguaçu National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
36	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Mesa	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
2	Guayaquil	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~20%
3	Santa Cruz de la Sierra	🇧🇴 Bolivia	~10%
4	Miami	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
5	Panama City	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
6	Houston	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
7	Curitiba	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
8	Barranquilla	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
9	Belo Horizonte	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
10	Havana	🇨🇺 Cuba	<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Disney's Animal Kingdom	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
2	SeaWorld Orlando	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
3	Busch Gardens Tampa	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
4	Pairi Daiza	🇧🇪 Belgium	In captivity
5	Prague Zoo	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
6	National Zoological Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
7	ZooParc de Beauval	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
8	SeaWorld Abu Dhabi	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	In captivity
9	Dresden Zoo	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
10	Parque das Aves	🇧🇷 Brazil	In captivity
11	Barcelona Zoo	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
12	Le Pal	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
13	Ostrava Zoo	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
14	Paris Zoological Park	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
15	Muséum de Besançon	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
16	Parc des oiseaux	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
17	Abilene Zoological Gardens	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
18	Aquarium du palais de la Porte Dorée	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
19	Zoo Miami	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
20	San Diego Zoo Safari Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
21	Minnesota Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
22	Safari West	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
23	Bronx Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
24	Yumka'	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
25	Brookfield Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
26	Sedgwick County Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
27	Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
28	Parc zoologique de Lisieux	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
29	Phoenix Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
30	Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
31	Cape May County Park & Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
32	São Paulo Zoo	🇧🇷 Brazil	In captivity
33	Rostock Zoo	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
34	Xcaret	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
35	Audubon Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
36	Granby Zoo	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity
37	Saint Louis Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
38	Berlin Zoological Garden	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
39	Caldwell Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
40	Temaikén	🇦🇷 Argentina	In captivity
41	Brevard Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
42	Parque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas	🇧🇷 Brazil	In captivity
43	ZooTampa	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
44	Dickerson Park Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
45	Fort Worth Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
46	Singapore Zoo	🇸🇬 Singapore	In captivity
47	Houston Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
48	San Antonio Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
49	Cameron Park Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
50	Cologne Zoological Garden	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity

Show all 50 Show fewer

Closest Relatives at Washington

Eudocimus albus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Plegadis falcinellus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Ardea herodias

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Butorides virescens

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Ardea alba

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Nycticorax nycticorax

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Nyctanassa violacea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Egretta caerulea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Egretta thula

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Botaurus lentiginosus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Bubulcus ibis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Roseate Spoonbill in Washington?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Roseate Spoonbill sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 795 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 161st most-seen of the 267 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Roseate Spoonbill in Washington?

July

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Roseate Spoonbill in Washington on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Roseate Spoonbill?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Roseate Spoonbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Washington the best place to see a Roseate Spoonbill?

22nd of 26

Of the 26 cities where we can rate Roseate Spoonbill sightings, Washington ranks 22nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Mesa (United States, about 20%), Guayaquil (Ecuador, about 20%) and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia, about 10%).

Where does the Roseate Spoonbill sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Roseate Spoonbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Washington (795 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Washington

Roseate Spoonbill

About the Roseate Spoonbill

Sounds

Recent sightings of Roseate Spoonbill in Washington

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Washington

White Ibis

Glossy Ibis

Great Blue Heron

Green Heron

Great Egret

Black-crowned Night Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Little Blue Heron

Snowy Egret

American Bittern

Cattle Egret

American White Pelican

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Roseate Spoonbill in Washington?

When is the best time to see a Roseate Spoonbill in Washington?

What time of day is best to see a Roseate Spoonbill?

Is Washington the best place to see a Roseate Spoonbill?

Where does the Roseate Spoonbill sighting chance come from?