What to Know About African Spoon bill in Uganda?

The African Spoon Bill in Uganda is one of the African birds in Uganda seen during Birding in Uganda.

The African Spoonbill is a wading long legged bird species which is scientifically referred to as the Platalea Alba meaning a pearl water bird and found within the Threskiornithidae, Ibis or spoonbill family and widely thriving across Madagascar and spotted on Africa birding safaris in countries including South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Zimbabwe together with Namibia. The bird species prefers and is seen in places near water by birdwatchers on birding tours hence it is a shy bird mostly associating with its own kind.

Physical appearance and behaviour of the African Spoonbill

African Spoonbill has a mainly white feathered body with its height measuring up to 90 centimetres. The bird species is characterized with long legs that are reddish in colour together with broad wings that measures between 365 to 403 mm long.

This spoonbill species nests up high in trees or reed beds in colonies around marshy wetlands baring open shallow water and it features a uniquely red bill that is spoon – shaped towards the tip end. While at birth, the young bird’s bill does not resemble a spoon but it has a short bill which later on with time develops into a spoon-like shape before it is fully independent.

Both male and female African Spoonbills are characterised with the identical sexes and donot share colonies with other storks. The adult Spoonbill do bare a gray beak together with thin long legs while the juvenile African Spoonbill is comprised of a yellow beak and doesnot have a red face.

During the feeding process, the bird species do feeds in deep shallow water and its long legs comprising with pointed toes enables it to walk easily through water. Mainly the African Spoonbill feeds on fish, molluscs, crustaceans, amphibians, larvae and insects. The bird uses its long spoon-like bill by swinging it from side to side in the water inorder to catch food in its mouth.

This bird is predominantly a shy species and it is sometimes encountered  in groups and pairs though usually seen singly. Therefore, African spoonbill is a silent bird except when alarming on occasional grunt. The bird while at flight, it flies while flapping its wings steadily in air with an extended legs and neck.

The breeding period of the African Spoonbill

During the breeding period which occurs in the winter season around the month of April or May lasting until spring, the African Spoonbill generally constructs the breeding nest with sticks, reeds and alined with leaves high in trees above water.

The adult female lays a maximum of 3 to 5 spotted dots of blue, brown and red coloured eggs and the incubation of the clutch is done by both male and female for a period of 29 days. After hatching, the chicks are looked afterand cared for by both parents for about 20 to 30 days. The young birds will fledge and develop wing feathers that are alarge, strong and broad enough for the flight to occur after a period of another 4 weeks after the hatching process and will leave the nest.

Breeding African Spoonbill is not a showy bird like the non breeding species because it does not have a crest to show off but it is characterized with a white body and red face with legs and grey spatulate bill.

African Spoonbill usually inhabits inland waters including Lake shores, River banks, Savannas, water meadows and mashes that are found in different countries within the Southern part of Africa that include Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana.

This bird species do have a long lifespan of about 15 years in the wild and in captivty an average of 17 years.

How Does the African Spoonbill in Uganda Sing and Make Calls?

The African spoon bill is ashy bird, always silent, giving a noisy croak when frightened while on Uganda birding safaris.

How Does the African Spoon Bill in Uganda Feed?

African spoon bill feed on fish and water invertebrates such as crustaceans or shellfish, insects, larvae, and molluscs.

It uses the bill to spear the prey and swing it from side to side in water the long legs and toes are useful for the bird to walk through the different water levels.

How Does the African Spoonbill in Uganda Nest?

The African spoon bill nests in trees surrounding water. It builds its nests using sticks, tree leaves and reeds.

How Does the African Spoonbill in Uganda Breed?

The African spoonbill breeds in groups from the months of March through September.

How Does the African Spoonbill in Uganda Reproduce?

The female African spoonbill lays between 3-5 red, brown or blue color dotted eggs usually in the months of April or May.

Both adults incubate the eggs for about 29 days, the chicks are fed by their parents by regurgitation for about 20-30 days before they begin to fly at around 4 weeks after hatching.