Eurasian spoonbill

Platalea leucorodia

The Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) is a bird found in Netherlands, Spain, India, France, Portugal, Belgium, and 2 more countries. Wetlands across Europe, Africa and Asia. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, reptiles and frogs and fish. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Platalea leucorodia
Region	Europe
Found in	Netherlands, Spain, India, France, Portugal, Belgium, and 2 more countries

🏡 Where the Eurasian spoonbill lives

Wetlands across Europe, Africa and Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs70%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs10%
🐟 Fish10%
🌿 Leaves & plants10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It has a spoon-shaped bill, which it swings through the water.

Hear the Eurasian spoonbill

Recorded by Stanislas Wroza (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC765576. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Eurasian spoonbill

Where does the Eurasian spoonbill live?

The Eurasian spoonbill lives in Netherlands, Spain, India, France, Portugal, Belgium, and 2 more countries. Wetlands across Europe, Africa and Asia.

What does the Eurasian spoonbill eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 70%), reptiles and frogs (about 10%), fish (about 10%), leaves and other plant parts (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Eurasian spoonbill endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Europe

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.