African Spoonbill

Platalea alba Scopoli, 1786

Threskiornithidae — Ibises, Spoonbills

African Spoonbill, Platalea alba, is a wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family found across Africa south of the Sahara. It is widespread in marshy wetlands with shallow open water, and it breeds in colonies in trees or reedbeds. Its most distinctive feature is the broad, flat bill that it sweeps from side to side while feeding. Breeding birds are white with red legs and face and a long grey spoon-shaped bill, while young birds have a yellow bill and lack the red face. It was described by Scopoli in 1786.

Order
Pelecaniformes
Family
Threskiornithidae — Ibises, Spoonbills
Breeding range
Africa: widespread s of the Sahara
African Spoonbill
© Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Tours where you can spot this bird

18 tours in Kenya 5, The Gambia 5, Uganda 3, South Africa 3, Tanzania 1, Namibia 1

Birds and Wildlife of Kenya with Lawson's Safaris
Birds and Wildlife of Kenya with Lawson's Safaris
Kenya / Nairobi Group tour 16 days

Cross Kenya over 16 days from Nairobi to Samburu, Rift Valley lakes, Kakamega, Lake Victoria and the Masai Mara for birds and wildlife....

From USD 7,390 Next: May 17, 2027
Private Lamin Lodge Birds and Breakfast Half-Day Tour
Private Lamin Lodge Birds and Breakfast Half-Day Tour
The Gambia / Lamin Private tour 7h

A private early-morning tour with breakfast at Lamin Lodge, mangrove birding by traditional canoe, and an extended session in the nearby ric...

From GBP 125
7 Days Uganda Birding: Mabamba, Budongo and Semuliki
7 Days Uganda Birding: Mabamba, Budongo and Semuliki
Uganda / Entebbe Custom tour 7 days

A busy week from Mabamba’s Shoebill channels to Budongo and Semuliki forest trails, with Murchison Falls and Kazinga Channel boat trips an...

8-Day Uganda Birding: Lake Mburo, Kazinga Channel and Kibale
8-Day Uganda Birding: Lake Mburo, Kazinga Channel and Kibale
Uganda / Entebbe Custom tour 8 days

Explore Lake Mburo by boat, watch waterbirds on the Kazinga Channel and combine Kibale forest birding with chimpanzee tracking on an eight-d...

From USD 3,118
5-Day Inland Gambia Birding Tour with JJ
5-Day Inland Gambia Birding Tour with JJ
The Gambia / Tendaba Private tour 5 days

Spend four nights and five days birding inland Gambia’s river, wetland, woodland and savannah country on a private trip with JJ....

8-Day Gambia Birding Tour with JJ
8-Day Gambia Birding Tour with JJ
The Gambia / Kotu Private tour 8 days

Sample coastal wetlands and woodland plus a shorter inland component on an eight-day private Gambia birding tour with JJ....

10-Day Gambia Birding Tour with JJ
10-Day Gambia Birding Tour with JJ
The Gambia / Kotu Private tour 10 days

Balance well-known coastal sites with a selected inland extension on a private 10-day Gambia birding tour guided by Junkung Jadama....

14-Day Extended Gambia Birding Tour with JJ
14-Day Extended Gambia Birding Tour with JJ
The Gambia / Kotu Private tour 14 days

Use 14 private birding days to range from western Gambia’s coastal habitats through river country to the far east with Junkung Jadama....

15-Day Uganda Birding Tour 2027
15-Day Uganda Birding Tour 2027
Uganda / Entebbe Group tour 15 days

A 15-day Uganda birding circuit from Entebbe through Mabamba Swamp, Lake Mburo, Mgahinga, Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth, Kibale and Semliki for Sh...

From USD 4,685
16 Days Central, Northern and Western Kenya Birding
16 Days Central, Northern and Western Kenya Birding
Kenya / Nairobi Private tour 16 days

Kenya birding route through Nairobi, Mount Kenya, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, Lake Baringo, Kakamega, Kisumu, Masai Mara, Naivasha and Kinangop....

From USD 3,767
Birds of Northern Tanzania Safari with Oluokos Signature
Birds of Northern Tanzania Safari with Oluokos Signature
Tanzania / Arusha Custom tour 7 days

A northern Tanzania birding tour for endemic and regional species across Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Serengeti-style hab...

From USD 4,600
Bird Watching at Impala Park and Dunga Boardwalk
Bird Watching at Impala Park and Dunga Boardwalk
Kenya / Kisumu Group tour 1 day

A Kisumu day trip combining Impala Park Sanctuary, Lake Victoria waterfront, Dunga Community Boardwalk and papyrus birding....

From USD 436
Kisumu and Lake Victoria Birding Day Trip
Kisumu and Lake Victoria Birding Day Trip
Kenya / Kisumu Group tour 1 day

A Lake Victoria birding day trip from Kisumu focused on papyrus, swamp, lakeshore, farmland and Impala Park birds....

From USD 436
Kenya Bird Watching Safari with Oluokos Signature
Kenya Bird Watching Safari with Oluokos Signature
Kenya / Nairobi Custom tour 14 days

A 14-day Kenya birdwatching safari linking Nairobi, Rift Valley lakes, Kakamega Forest, Western Kenya, Lake Victoria and the Maasai Mara....

From USD 14,229
2-Day West Coast Birding Tour
2-Day West Coast Birding Tour
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 2 days

Explore the Western Cape coast over two days, from Darling farmland and Geelbek shorebirds to a Berg River boat trip and Velddrif wetlands....

10-Day Western Cape Birding Tour
10-Day Western Cape Birding Tour
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 10 days

A private or small-group Western Cape birding itinerary from Cape Town through the Cape Peninsula, West Coast, Tankwa Karoo, Agulhas Plain, ...

Private Cape Peninsula Birding Day Tour with Birding Ecotours
Private Cape Peninsula Birding Day Tour with Birding Ecotours
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 1 day

A flexible private day from Cape Town combining Kirstenbosch, peninsula wetlands and an African Penguin colony, with Cape endemics and coast...

From ZAR 7,000
Southern Africa Birding Expedition: Namibia, Okavango & Victoria Falls with Birding Ecotours
Southern Africa Birding Expedition: Namibia, Okavango & Victoria Falls with Birding Ecotours
Namibia / Walvis Bay Group tour 18 days

An 18-day birding expedition from Namibia's Atlantic coast through Etosha and the Okavango Panhandle to Victoria Falls, combining desert nea...

From USD 10,206