spoonbill

American  

[spoon-bil] / ˈspunˌbɪl /

noun

1. any of several wading birds of the family Plataleidae, related to the ibises, having a long, flat bill with a spoonlike tip.

2. any of various birds having a similar bill, as the shoveler duck.

3. the paddlefish.

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spoonbill British  

/ ˈspuːnˌbɪl /

noun

1. any of several wading birds of warm regions, such as Platalea leucorodia ( common spoonbill ) and Ajaia ajaja ( roseate spoonbill ), having a long horizontally flattened bill: family Threskiornithidae, order Ciconiiformes

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Etymology

Origin of spoonbill

First recorded in 1670–80; spoon + bill ²

Example Sentences

The Franco-Belgian couturier referenced the extravagant plumage of a roseate spoonbill or the crested cockatoo alongside the humble crow, grey pigeon and magpie.

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026

"Now we can officially celebrate the return of a former lost breeding species to the Broadland landscape with the first fledged spoonbill here since the mid-17th Century," he added.

From BBC • Aug. 8, 2023

The last time a roseate spoonbill was seen in Wisconsin was in 1845, and that bird was dead.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2023

You will see dolphins, terns, maybe even a roseate spoonbill.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2023

Its nest, its pallet, was of every kind of precious feather— Of lovely cotinga feathers, roseate spoonbill feathers, quetzal feathers.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann