The
Black-faced spoonbill has snowy white plumage except for its
black lore and long black legs. Their most outstanding characteristic
is their long black beak, which resembles a Chinese lute (pi
pa). Black-faced spoonbills are very similar in appearance to
Egrets, which is why the later are also known as Black-faced
pi pa egrets (hei mian pi lu in Chinese). When the weather turns
warm, adult Black-faced spoonbills will begin to grow golden
yellow feathers around their crown and nape, while their young
continue to retain their original white plumage.
Behavior:
Every
September, several groups of Black-faced spoonbills will fly
to the areas of reclaimed land near the Tsengwen River outlet
in Tainan to pass the winter. By day, they will rest together
in small groups on floating land at the mouth of the river,
and at dusk, they will begin to look for food. When foraging
for prey, they will lower their head into the water and move
their beaks from side to side, and when they find something,
they will scoop it up and toss it into the air to catch in their
mouths. Black-faced spoonbills are renowned for their grace
and poise, which have earned them the nickname of "black-faced
dancer." In February, they will start to search for food
in the daytime as well in preparation for their long journey
home to the north. As they are unable to reach the feathers
behind their necks, Black-faced spoonbills enjoy grooming each
other and are often seen in the water bathing together, jumping
and hopping around, spreading their wings, and chasing one another
in a playful manner. Occasionally, they will grunt and rasp
while in a playful fight or stand on shore pulling back and
forth on a plant stalk in a friendly game of tug-of-war. Such
activities are an important part of the Black-faced spoonbill's
process of getting to know one another and are used to form
closer bonds in a group setting.
Habitat:
Black-faced
spoonbills are large wading birds from the Threskiornithidae
family. An endangered species, there are only about 600 black-faced
spoonbills left in the world today. Their range is limited to
eastern Asia. It was once recorded that approximately 400 Black-faced
spoonbills were seen in the Tsengwen River outlet in Tainan.
