Science News Madden Science News List on Twitter maddenscience Science Education Adventure + 📷 🐆 🌍 🧬 maddenscience.com 🎥 youtube.com/@maddenscience 28 years in classroom Lynx ⬇️ ROSEATE SPOONBILL [Platalea ajaja] I was really l Roseate Spoonbill [Platalea ajaja] Video from a s Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon 2026. [par Tallahassee Marathon and Half Marathon 2026. [par BELTED KINGFISHER [Megaceryle alcyon] I absolutel ICE FLOWERS! I discovered this wild and rare nat SNOWY EGRET [Egretta thula] Fortunate to spend ti BANDED WATER SNAKE! [Nerodia fasciata] Spent time THE PODIUM : The World Athletics Cross Country Cha World Athletics Cross Country Championships! Janua World Athletics Cross Country Championships! Janua Forest Park, Oregon LEAFCUTTER ANTS! What are they doing with all th LICHENS are my new spirit organism and future masc Iquitos from Above: Exploring Life and City at the Red Shouldered Hawk: [Buteo lineatus] Flying righ RATTLESNAKE! Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake [Sistrurus mi More BOBCAT! Including a tripod + bobcat screen gr BOBCAT! [Lynx rufus] This was the first time I've Baby Alligators 🐊 and Mommy Alligator Gators can Load More Follow on Instagram
![ROSEATE SPOONBILL [Platalea ajaja]
I was really lucky to spend sunset crouched at water’s edge observing two Roseate Spoonbills. Their striking pink color comes straight from their diet. Spoonbills primarily eat shrimp and other crustaceans rich in carotenoid pigments, and those pigments get deposited into their feathers. The more carotenoid-rich the prey, the deeper and brighter the pink. *Just like flamingos!
These Roseate Spoonbills are feeding using a technique called tactile sweeping. Instead of hunting by sight, they move their open bill side to side through shallow water. The inside edges are packed with mechanoreceptors, so the moment they touch a fish or crustacean, the bill snaps shut—almost like a biological motion sensor. And the bill itself evolved to be broad, round and flat to help increase surface and sensitivity.
You can also see some spoonbill courting behavior - head lifted, bill pointed upward, and low grunting calls. These displays help reinforce social bonds and signal readiness to mate.
This experience filled with awe and wonder is one I won’t ever forget!
#roseatespoonbill #pinkbirds #floridabirds #maddenscience #wildflorida #stmarkswildliferefuge
@audubon_fl @floridawildlifecorridor @livewildlyfl](https://maddenscience.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)