Spork the Roseate Spoonbill
Spork the Roseate Spoonbill was transferred to us by our friends at the Wildlife Center of Venice. They had admitted the adult male bird with an old healed fracture of its wing. The broken bone had already fused, but the bird is unable to fly. Since they do not have the luxury of exhibit habitats at their facility, they offered to transfer the bird to PRWC.
We held a contest to allow the public to vote for their choice of a name for our spoonbill when he arrived and they chose Spork. We held a contest to allow the public to vote for their choice. Unlike other recent and pending elections, this one had some great selections from which to choose:
Roosevelt (nickname-Rosey, like Rosey Greer)
Frasier (from the French word for strawberry)
(Pink) Floyd (if we need to explain this one, you are either too young or listened to too much Pink Floyd music to remember!)
Spork (a nod to his spoon-shaped bill with the filtering grooves along the front)
Cool Facts about Spork the Roseate Spoonbill
The oldest recorded Roseate Spoonbill was at least 15 years, 10 months old when it was recaptured and re-released during a scientific study in Florida.
- Habitat: Can be found in fresh, brackish, and salt water
- Food: small fish, crustaceans, and insects
- Nest Placement: In trees along water’s edge
- Behavior: Feeds by visual and tactile stimulus. Filter feeder, swinging head back and forth under water
- Conservation: Roseate Spoonbill populations increased throughout their continental range between 1966 and 2014, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The North American Waterbird Conservation Plan estimates a continental population of 20,500 breeding birds, rates the species a 16 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, and lists it as a Species of Moderate Concern. Roseate Spoonbill is not on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List
Facts source: Cornell University – All About Birds
