Identification: Spoonbills are mostly white like an egret but with bigger fatter bodies and, of course, those flattened, spoon-shaped bills. Feeding birds swing their heads, sweeping their bills from side to side through the water. Juveniles have paler bills and black wing tips but it is unusual to find birds like these with so much grey in their plumage. In flight the neck and legs are out-stretched but held below the level of the body.

Habitat: Breeds in reedbeds or waterside trees beside shallow lakes, marshes and fishponds. Winters on marshes and estuaries.

Distribution: Regular spring and summer visitor in small numbers. Most records are from coastal East Anglia, with an exceptional 19 together at Minsmere in July 1996. Long-staying individuals can often be found in winter in Poole Harbour, the Taw Estuary in Devon and on the River Lynher in Cornwall.

Viewable colonies can be seen on Texel (Holland), the Hortobagy-Halasto fishponds (Hungary) and Lake Manyas (Turkey) but feeding birds can be seen in small numbers at many other wetlands, mostly in southern or eastern Europe.

Population: European population estimated at between 2600-3200 pairs. Russian population 2300-2800 Turkish population 500-3000