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Royal Spoonbill
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Royal Spoonbill
Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.
All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly-opened bill from side to side. The moment any small aquatic creature touches the inside of the bill—an insect, crustacean, or tiny fish—it is snapped shut. Spoonbills generally prefer fresh water to salt but are found in both environments. They need to feed many hours each day.
Spoonbills are monogamous, but, so far as is known, only for one season at a time. Most species nest in trees or reed-beds, often with ibises or herons. The male gathers nesting material—mostly sticks and reeds, sometimes taken from an old nest—the female weaves it into a large, shallow bowl or platform which varies in its shape and structural integrity according to species.
The female lays a clutch of about 3 smooth, oval, white eggs and both parents incubate; chicks hatch one at a time rather than all together. The newly-hatched young are blind and cannot care for themselves immediately; both parents feed them by partial regurgitation. Chicks' bills are short and straight, and only gain the characteristic spoonbill shape as the they mature. Their feeding continues for a few weeks longer after the family leaves the nest. The primary cause of brood failure appears not to be predation but starvation.
The spoonbill family is one of the families in the order Ciconiiformes.
The above obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoonbill
IMAGE INFORMATION
Camera: Canon 1D Mk lll
Time of day: 18:50 p.m.
Date: 21st March 2008
Weather conditions: Clear
Lens: Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM
Extender: Canon EF 2X II
Filter: Hoya 77mm UV
Shutter Speed: 1/500
F-Stop: F/9.5
Focal Length: 400mm
ISO: 650
Support: Hand Held
Original file type: Digital Raw |
bobcat08, XOTAELE has marked this note useful
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Hello Pam,
A beautiful composition of these three Royal spoonbills. Especially the overview of the wings of these three birds. Beautiful natural colors. Sharp, and ful of fine details. And as special gift the Oystercatcher on the BG. Your notes are very interesting. Thanks for that. Have a nice day and TFS BOB
Hola Pam.
Gran escena con una buena captura.
Bellos colores y excelente bg.
Un cordial saludo, JL.
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