Habitat Suitability Index Models: Roseate spoonbill

The roseate spoonbill is a long-legged wading bird with a height of approximately 80 cm (31.5 inches), a wingspan of 1.3 m (4.3 ft), and a weight of 1.6 kg (3.5 Ib }. The bill is narrower near the base (2-3 em, 0.8-1.2 inches) than at the flattened tip (5 cm, 2 inches) and is 15-18 cm (5.9-7.1 inches) in length.

Roseate spoonbills occur and nest in peninsular Florida, coastal Louisiana, and Texas, south through the West Indies, Mexico, Central and South America to Argentina and Chile. Marine, brackish, and freshwater habitats are utilized, but brackish areas are favored (Blacklock et al. 1978). In the late 1970·s there were 2,500 pairs nesting along the Texas coast (Texas Colonial Waterbird Society 1982), 1,300 pairs in southwestern Louisiana (Portnoy 1977), and 1,400 pairs in Florida (Robertson et al. 1983). These birds are resident year round in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, but fewer bi rds are present duri ng the nonbreedi ng season than in the breeding season. Some individuals move northward after nesting and have been reported in Georgia, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Wisconsin, but most spoonbills move south when they leave the breeding area.