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 soon bill is a long legged wading bird that belongs to the ibis and spoon bill family- Threskiornithidae, Kingdom-Animalia, Phylum-Chordata, colas saves, order-pelecaniformes and genus Platalea.

The African spoonbill has a body length of 90cm and wingspan is between 120-25cm. it has a life expectancy of 17yrs in captivity and 15 years in the wild.

It survives in marshes, swamps with some open shallow water and nests in colonies in trees or reed beds.

In Uganda, a spoon bill can be seen while on a boat cruise on Kazinga channel in queen Elizabeth national park.

How Does the African Spoonbill in Uganda Look Like?

African Spoonbill is a tall-legged walking bird. Its plumage is mostly white, except for its red legs, face, and bill.

This bird can easily be identified by its distinctive spoon-like bill. At hatching, the bill does not resemble a spoon.

Very young chicks have a short bill, that slowly grows into its spoon-like shape. The bill normally resembles a spoon before it to leave its nest. Male and female African spoon-bill birds are similar in appearance.

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.

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.