Black-faced Spoonbill
Platalea minor
- Family
- Ibises and Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
Overview
The black-faced spoonbill (Platalea minor) is a species of wading bird in the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae, found in eastern Asia. This species has the most restricted distribution of the six spoonbill species, and is the only one regarded as endangered. Spoonbills are large water birds with dorso-ventrally flattened, spatulate bills; they use a tactile method of feeding, wading in the water and sweeping their beaks from side-to-side to detect prey.
Confined to the coastal areas of eastern Asia, it seems that it was once common throughout its area of distribution.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds northeastern China and Korea; winters to southeastern Asia.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Black-faced spoonbill
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
