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The Roseate Spoonbill

Roger Tory Peterson called it“one of the most breathtaking of the world’s weirdest birds.” Some call it the "flame bird". And some call it the...
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Roger Tory Peterson called it“one of the most breathtaking of the world’s weirdest birds.” Some call it the "flame bird". And some call it the "two -foot long pink arrow" with a wingspan of 4 feet. The color comes from the crustaceans it eats which feed on algae that give the spoonbill's feathers their rosy pink color. "Adults have a bare greenish head ("golden buff" when breeding) and a white neck, back and breast" (with a tuft of pink feathers in the center when breeding), and are otherwise a deep pink." The bill is grey but often looks greenish-blue in flight, as in the picture above. Long pink legs stretch out behind as the roseate spoonbill flies. But the most interesting aspect of their beauty to me, is the bone structure of the wings in flight. The bones seem to reveal the soul of this wonderful beauty when in the sky. I think of it as a red-eyed wonder in flight.

overall health of the Everglades,
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