# Eurasian spoonbill (*Platalea leucorodia*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-spoonbill  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), also called the spoonbill, white spoonbill or European spoonbill, is a bird in the family Threskiornithidae and order Pelecaniformes. It is a medium-sized bird with a representative adult body mass of 1.868 kg and a wingspan of 1.3 m. This partially migratory wetland bird is a carnivore in the aquatic predator diet category and forages in the terrestrial stratum. It lays 3.5 eggs per clutch in one clutch per year, incubates them for 24.5 days, reaches sexual maturity at 3 years, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.39 kg – 1.87 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 1.3 m |
| Lifespan | 28.3 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 30.1 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 24.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.5 |
| Age at maturity | 3 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Pelecaniformes
- family: Threskiornithidae
- genus: Platalea
- species: *Platalea leucorodia* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Platalea leucerodia*, *Platalea leucordia*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the Eurasian spoonbill?

The Eurasian spoonbill is a bird in the family Threskiornithidae, order Pelecaniformes.

### How heavy is the Eurasian spoonbill?

Its representative adult body mass is 1.868 kg, and the lowest value reported by our sources is 1.39 kg.

### What does the Eurasian spoonbill eat?

It is a carnivore in the aquatic predator diet category.

### What habitat does the Eurasian spoonbill use?

Its habitat is wetland, and it forages in the terrestrial stratum.

### Is the Eurasian spoonbill endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the Eurasian spoonbill live?

Its lifespan is 28.25 years, with values up to 30.1 years reported by our sources.

### How many eggs does the Eurasian spoonbill lay?

It lays 3.5 eggs per clutch and has one clutch per year, with an incubation period of 24.5 days.

### Who named the Eurasian spoonbill?

The scientific name Platalea leucorodia was given by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-spoonbill