Royal Spoonbill
Platalea regia
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicaniformes)
- FamilyThreskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills)
- GenusPlatalea (Spoonbills)
- SpeciesPlatalea regia (Royal Spoonbill)
The royal spoonbill (Platalea regia), also known as the black-billed spoonbill lives in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. (In New Zealand, it is also known by the Māori name kōtuku ngutupapa.) It has also been recorded as a vagrant in New Caledonia. It is one of 6 spoonbill species world wide. The royal spoonbill lives in wetlands and feeds on crustaceans, fish and small insects by sweeping its bill from side to side. It always flies with its head extended. Widespread throughout its large range, the royal spoonbill is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Royal Spoonbill sighting in Litchfield National Park, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Litchfield National Park
Straw-necked Ibis
Threskiornis spinicollis
Australian White Ibis
Threskiornis molucca
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellus
intermediate egret
Egretta intermedia
Pied Heron
Egretta picata
Great Egret
Ardea alba
White-necked Heron
Ardea pacifica
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
White-faced Heron
Egretta novaehollandiae
Nankeen Night-Heron
Nycticorax caledonicus
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 13 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Aoraki Mount Cook National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 15 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Royal Spoonbill in Litchfield National Park?
About 2% of wildlife watchers report a Royal Spoonbill sighting in Litchfield National Park, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Royal Spoonbill in Litchfield National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Royal Spoonbill in Litchfield National Park in our monthly data.