13 - The spoonbill

The spoonbill is without doubt one of the great natural treasures of the Urdaibai Biosphere reserve.

The majority of them come from the Fresian Islands in Holland but there are other large colonies in the Wadden Sea.

As its name suggests, this bird has a very special bill which is long and flat. The shape is adapted to the bird´s feeding method. Wading in shallow waters of no more than 30cm, the spoonbill submerges its bill in the water and then moves it from side to side. Detecting its prey though touch, the bird searches for shrimps, crabs and small fish. When it catches something, it shakes its bill vertically and swallows the food.

After breeding the spoonbill travels more than 4,000 kilometres to its wintering quarters in Africa. These areas are mainly in Mauritania and Senegal.

However, some juveniles remain in southern Europe during the winter and this provides us with an excellent opportunity to observe them in Urdaibai.

The wetlands in this area provide the spoonbills with a resting place and a source of food which is vital for them on their migratory routes.

We know more about the migration of spoonbills thanks to the ringing of birds. Every year, ornithologists carry out this procedure on chicks in their breeding colonies. The rings are placed on the birds legs and thus, through a coded system of colours, letters and numbers, each individual is identifiable. Using telescopes or binoculars, ornithologists can recognise them anywhere in Europe or Africa.

Thanks to the ringing system, we also know that the spoonbill can live for more than 20 years.