Carolina Beach Lake has been hosting an unusual guest, the Roseate Spoonbill! Common in coastal Florida, Texas, and southwest Louisiana, they are usually in small flocks, often associating with other waders. Spoonbills feed in shallow waters, walking forward slowly while they swing their heads from side to side, sifting the muck with their wide flat bills and apparently has been enjoying its meals at the Lake. As of press time the Spoonbill had been spotted. 

Scientists believe that, like flamingos, the roseate spoonbill’s pink coloration is due to their diet of organisms containing carotene (an orange-yellow to red pigment) like shrimp.  The bird is the only spoonbill species that lives in the Western Hemisphere.

The Roseate Spoonbill is protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act and as a State-designated Threatened species by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule.