This winter, at South Padre Island, I saw Roseate Spoonbills for the first time and fell in love with their pink plumage and unusual features.

Last Sunday, in the Free Flight Aviary at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX, I was thrilled to get close to another Roseate Spoonbill. To see it surrounded by a group of Scarlet Ibis (another bird I had never seen before) was a bonus.

The brilliant red plumage of the Scarlet Ibis alongside the soft pinks and whites of the Roseate Spoonbill made for a truly a remarkable visual experience.

“Although the Scarlet Ibis is not a threatened species it is still on the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) concern list. These remarkable birds are facing over-hunting, habitat destruction and egg collecting.”

Birds.com