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The Royal spoonbill (Platalea regia) is a bird found in Australia and New Zealand. Wetlands and shores across Australia and New Zealand. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and fish. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the Royal spoonbill lives

Wetlands and shores across Australia and New Zealand.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐛 Insects & bugs50%
• 🐟 Fish50%

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

Conservation status

Hear the Royal spoonbill

Recorded by nick talbot (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC349855. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Royal spoonbill

Where does the Royal spoonbill live?

The Royal spoonbill lives in Australia and New Zealand. Wetlands and shores across Australia and New Zealand.

What does the Royal spoonbill eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 50%), fish (about 50%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Royal spoonbill endangered?

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

More birds from Australia & Oceania

• Paradise parrot
• Poʻouli
• Kangaroo Island emu
• Hawaiʻi ʻōʻō
• South Island giant moa
• Stephens Island wren

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