Ibises and Spoonbills: Threskiornithidae

Ibises and spoonbills are alike in many ways, but their long bills are very different. The ibises' bills are thin and they curve downward. Spoonbills' spoon-shaped bills are flat and wide at the tip. Both ibises and spoonbills are medium to large wading birds, birds that walk through shallow water in search of food. Most of them have bare faces and throats, they have long necks and legs, and many of them have colorful feathers. They range in length from 19 to 43 inches (48 to 110 centimeters) from the tip of their bills to their tails, and they weigh between 1.5 and 5.5 pounds (0.5 and 2.5 kilograms).