Platalea flavipes
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The yellow-billed spoonbill (Platalea flavipes) is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is native to Australia, and is a vagrant to New Zealand, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.
The renowned ornithologist John Gould first described the yellow-billed spoonbill, naming it Platalea flavipes although noting its distinctness from other members of the genus. Bonaparte erected the genus Platibis in 1856, and Gould followed this classification in his later work. He noted the species appeared in great numbers across New South Wales in 1839, particularly in the north between the Hunter and lower Namoi Rivers. The year had been wet, in contrast to droughts in previous years.
A 2010 study of mitochondrial DNA of the spoonbills by Chesser and colleagues found that the yellow-billed and roseate spoonbills were each other's closest relative, and the two were descended from an early offshoot from the ancestors of the other four spoonbill species. They felt the genetic evidence meant it was equally valid to consider all six to be classified within the genus Platalea or alternatively the two placed in the monotypic genera Platibis and Ajaia...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillip Island Nature Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Gorge Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Spoonbill sighting in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, based on 207 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 68th most-seen of the 149 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-billed Spoonbill in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-billed Spoonbill sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Yellow-billed Spoonbill sightings, Phillip Island Nature Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Grampians National Park (Australia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-billed Spoonbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Phillip Island Nature Park (207 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
