Royal Spoonbill
Royal SpoonbillRoyal SpoonbillRoyal SpoonbillRoyal Spoonbill

Royal Spoonbill

Platalea regia

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Rakiura National Park
10 Verified records at Rakiura National Park
March Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 Rakiura National Park, based on 10 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Rakiura National Park

White-faced Heron
LC

White-faced Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta novaehollandiae

10–20% · With luck
Ardea modesta

Ardea modesta

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea modesta

Insufficient data
Little Egret
LC

Little Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta garzetta

<5% · Rare
Pacific Reef Heron
LC

Pacific Reef Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta sacra

Insufficient data
Australasian Bittern
VU

Australasian Bittern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Botaurus poiciloptilus

Insufficient data
Great Egret
LC Endemic

Great Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea alba

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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
20–30%
2 Abel Tasman National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
10–20%
3 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
4 Fiordland National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
5–10%
5 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
6 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
7 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
8 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
9 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
10 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
11 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
12 Rakiura National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
<5%
13 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
14 Aoraki Mount Cook National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
Insufficient data
15 Nitmiluk National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Royal Spoonbill in Rakiura National Park?

About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Royal Spoonbill sighting in Rakiura National Park, based on 10 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Royal Spoonbill in Rakiura National Park?

March has the highest sighting rate for Royal Spoonbill in Rakiura National Park in our monthly data.

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