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Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

Yellow-billed Spoonbill

Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Image ID 39095)
Photographed byJim Schultz on Sat 30th Mar, 2019 and uploaded on Mon 17th Feb, 2020 .
Resolution1340x1050
Viewed288
ID39095
CommentThe carnivorous Yellow-billed Spoonbill is predominantly found at freshwater lakes and wetlands with shallow water, but it can utilize just about any body of water, as long as it is fresh. You may, for instance, find it feeding in roadside ditches even when there’s only a bit of water down there. Often, you might see it in flooded pastures in the spring, or it might hang out at a dam. Only rarely does it use saline habitats. The species has a large, spatular bill filled with nerves at the end, allowing the spoonbill to search for food by touch. When foraging, it will typically stick its bill down in water up to eye level and then sweep its head from side to side, like a gold fossicker with a metal detector. When it hits upon prey, it quickly pulls back up its head, flicks the neck and catches the morsel in an open bill and lets it slide down. Distributed widely in Australia, it is the author’s feeling that it its numbers are on the rise in the Perth area. Note that the rufous discolouration of the neck of the front bird stems from the feathers picking up pigments from brown humus in the water. Bibra Lake; GPS. Least Concern
EquipmentNikon D800 (DX-sensor) camera body, Nikkor AF-S 500mm f4G ED VR lens, Gitzo GT3543XLS Tripod, Dietmar Nill gimbal tripod head Camera Settings: Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority f4, 1/800 sec. Auto ISO-500. Metering Mode: CENTER-WEIGHTED; Focus Mode: AF-C; AF Area Mode: AUTO. Nikon ViewNX-i for viewing and selecting files; Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw/CC 2020 for post-processing; Topaz Pro plug-ins Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI & Studio 2 for sharpening and noise control. ‘Australian Bird Guide 2019’ for supplementary data and colour checks.
LocationBibra Lake; GPS, Western Australia
Keywordsfeeding/with prey, adult, breeding plumage/features
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