Royal Spoonbill

[Brian Jones via Canberrabirds <>]

Thanks for your responses. I have since seen a few references to the bare skin and photos.

Brian

https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Platalea-regia

Description: 

The Royal Spoonbill is a large white waterbird with black, spatulate (spoon-shaped) bill, facial skin, legs and feet. During the breeding season, it has a distinctive nuchal (back of head or nape of neck) crest, which can be up to 20 cm long in male birds (usually shorter in females). The crest can be erected during mating displays to reveal bright pink skin underneath. Breeding adults also have a creamy-yellow wash across the lower neck and upper breast and a strip of bright pink skin along the edge of the underwings which is obvious when the bird opens its wings. The facial skin is black with a yellow patch above the eye and a red patch in the middle of the forehead, in front of the crest feathers. Females are slightly smaller with shorter legs and bill. Out of breeding season, the nuchal crests are reduced, the underwing is not bright pink and the plumage is less brilliant, often appearing 'dirty'. Young birds are similar to non-breeding adults without a crest or coloured face patches, and are slightly smaller with a shorter, smoother bill. The Royal Spoonbill is most often seen wading in shallow waters, sweeping its submerged bill back and forth in a wide arc to find food.

On Thursday, 5 December 2024 at 03:53:18 pm AEDT, Alison Rowell via Canberrabirds <> wrote:

I’ve seen these bare skin patches during dissections and I think the colour varies with age and breeding status. And perhaps for birds in warm countries it might provide additional skin area for shedding heat during flight or by raising wings when at rest?

Alison R

 

From: Canberrabirds <> On Behalf Of Philip Veerman via Canberrabirds
Sent: Thursday, 5 December 2024 10:19 AM
To: 'CanberraBirds email list' <>
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Royal Spoonbill

 

Good question. HANZAB describes this bare skin for the Royal Spoonbill (volume 1B page 1095), so it would appear to be normal for the species. As to why, there probably isn’t an answer: “Because its parents do”. As in a random evolutionary event.  However this photo highlights something interesting. In this pose it is clear that the bird has brought the feathers well forward. It would be unlikely to do that in level flight, as it would be destabilising. And the bird would have trouble closing the wing when perched if that was the normal pose. That indicates that most of the time, when held relaxed, the bare skin is normally covered by feathers laying flat. So it clearly isn’t done at other times and so it could be a specific signalling of something. I don’t know what, Just like a cockatoo can raise a crest.

 

Similar although pink skin is certainly conspicuously normal for White Ibis.

 

Philip

 

 

From: Canberrabirds [m("lists.canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds-bounces");" href="" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">] On Behalf Of Rob Geraghty via Canberrabirds
Sent: Thursday, 5 December, 2024 8:34 AM
To: Brian Jones
Cc: CanberraBirds Email List
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Royal Spoonbill

 

I think it's normal? Photos I've taken of Ibis in flight show the same thing. 

 

On Wed, 4 Dec 2024, 23:27 Brian Jones via Canberrabirds, <m("lists.canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");" href="" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">> wrote:

Does anyone know why this Royal Spoonbill has bare skin on the wings?

 

It was at Werribee in June.

 

Cheers

Brian

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