SPOON BILL

The spoon bill is rather small, greyish white, with black patches on the wings and readily distinguished by its curiously shaped black bill. It is found throughout India, Burma and Sri Lanka and usually occurs in small parties or flocks on the banks of streams, ponds and lakes. Its peculiarly shaped bill is well adapted for crushing and opening the thick shells of the large apple snail (Pila globosa) and extracting their soft parts. It breeds in large colonies mostly from November to March in South India.