Spoonbill
The spoonbill is a tall, pure white bird with a long, flat bill that widens into a spoon at the tip. It feeds by sweeping its bill from side to side through shallow water, snapping it shut on shrimps and small fish.
Back in Britain
Spoonbills nested in Britain in the Middle Ages, but were lost by the seventeenth century. After centuries as rare visitors, they began nesting again in Norfolk in 2010, and now breed at several sites in England and Wales, a sign of birds spreading north as the climate warms.
Brownsea Island
Poole Harbour has one of the largest wintering flocks of spoonbills in Britain, and the lagoon on Brownsea Island, run by the Dorset Wildlife Trust, is one of the best places to see them, roosting together on the islands in the lagoon at high tide. Most arrive in autumn from colonies in the Netherlands and stay until spring.
Spoonbills spend much of the day asleep, with their bills tucked under their wings, which makes them look like white egrets; wait for them to wake and feed.
Seeing them
Spoonbills spend much of the day asleep, with their bills tucked under their wings, which makes them look like white egrets; wait for them to wake and feed. They are present all year on some sites, and in largest numbers in winter in Poole Harbour.
Where to see it on the islands
On Search Isle, the spoonbill is recorded on 35 islands. They are spread across England (27), Crown Dependencies (3), Scotland (2), Wales (2) and Ireland (1).
The most records come from Brownsea Island (Dorset, 401 records), Spurn (Humber Estuary, 296 records), Wallasea Island (Essex, 104 records) and Isle of Thanet (Kent, 102 records). These counts reflect where people have looked as well as where the animal lives: busy islands, and those with bird observatories, have far more records than remote ones.
Through the year
The spoonbill can be seen all year round on the islands.
Other herons and egrets
The spoonbill is one of 3 herons and egrets on Search Isle, alongside Grey Heron and Little Egret.
