AFRICAN SPOONBILL  
Platalea alba

 isiXulamasele (Zulu) Lepelaar (Afrikaans)

HABITAT
Found throughout the province in shallow inland waters such as dams and marshes. It is less often seen on coastal lagoons and estuaries. Often seen in the pans on the flood plains of the pongola and Usutu rivers.

TYPE
This is a large white bird with a long bill which is spoon shaped at the end and grey coloured outlined in light red. It has a naked red face and light blue grey eyes. The legs and feet are pink or red. Spoonbills roost communally in reedbeds or trees

FOOD
It feeds on small fish and invertebrates and forages by wading slowly through the water with its bill partially submerged and sweeping from side to side. It also probes in the mud.

BREEDING
It nests from July to October in KwaZulu-Natal and normally produces 2 to 4 eggs which are laid in a nest consisting of a flattened platform of sticks or reeds on submerged trees, reedbeds or rocky islets. The eggs are off-white blotched with brown, red and grey markings.

STATUS
It is a locally common, nomadic and possibly migratory bird in Africa south of the Sahara.