AT PATHO

There are many varieties of Spoonbills. This one is a Yellow-billed Spoonbill. It is notable for its strangely shaped bill. It has black markings on its face and black coloring on its wingtips. It also has some distinctive feathers around its neck. They are not uncommon here in Victoria, Australia.

I saw this Spoonbill fishing in a small. shallow pond nearby my house. It lies adjacent to a lagoon, where the water level is adjusted up and down depending on demand for irrigation water by farmers. It ignored me and continued to fish by sweeping its bill from side to side, presumably catching lots of small fish to eat.