Spoonbill

Spoonbill

The lagoon on Brownsea Island boasts one of the biggest wintering flocks of spoonbills in the country, with 20 birds recorded already this year. Excitingly, they have bred in Scotland this year, perhaps they will go on to become a breeding species in other parts of UK.

Can you spot a spoonbill on Dorset Wildlife Trusts' Brownsea Island Lagoon webcam?

View a slideshow of your amazing spoonbill pictures in the Flickr group.

Watch all the best spoonbill action from the shows.

Species information

The rather odd looking spoonbill should be easily identifiable. It has a long and flattened black bill which ends in a yellow coloured spoon-shaped tip. A large member of the heron family, it has white plumage and long black legs, which trail behind when in flight, with shallow wing beats and extended gliding.

The spoonbill will stand with its long bill tucked under its wing and spends a lot of time napping. In-between dozes it will feed by wading in the shallow water of lagoons, marshes and mudflats, sweeping its bill from side to side, filtering out small fish and crustaceans to eat.

It's a winter visitor to coastal areas of north west and south west of England as well as East Anglia, but after breeding in Scotland this year we may well get our own breeding colonies soon. That would be something!

How to help

With about 75 recorded sightings each year, the spoonbill is not a common bird. Join your local RSPB group or local Wildlife Trust to find out more about and help with the conservation of the spoonbill. You can also help the BTO record bird migration and distribution throughout the UK online with BirdTrack.

The fortunes of the spoonbill

After the breeding success of spoonbills in Scotland, the spoonbills of Brownsea Island have been showing some tantalising signs that they may breed as well. The wardens certainly hope so.

Spoonbill feeding technique

Watch how the spoonbill feeds from shallow waters in this wading bird compilation. Bill explains some of the techniques these birds employ to obtain their food.