DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
It lives in African and Madagascar lakes, rivers and swamps, sea bays and all water reservoirs with a muddy bottom south of the Sahara.
BEHAVIOUR
This bird is rather shy and avoids people. It migrates rarely, only in response to the appearance of the rainy season in another region, and the movements
are not regular.
DIET
It feeds on aquatic invertebrates and small vertebrates, e.g. fish. The spoon-shaped beak is used for straining the muddy bottom and for catching slippery prey.
REPRODUCTION
It breeds in small colonies with spoonbills and ibis. The nest is a platform made of sticks. The nest is placed near the water, on low branches or among reeds. Lays 3-5 spotted eggs, incubated together by the parents.
GOOD TO KNOW
Searching for food, it wades in the shallows, following a hippo or a crocodile, which, while moving, flushes invertebrates away from the silt.
- Latin name: Platalea alba
- IUCN –Red List – LC – least concern
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