The Spoonbill is remarkable for the singular form of its bill, which is
about four times the length of the head, straight and flexible. The
upper part, which is about an inch and a quarter broad at the base,
gradually narrows to three-quarters of an inch, and again increases to
two inches at the point, causing a resemblance to a spoon, from which it
takes its name.
It uses this bill for dipping into the mud and water, whence it extracts
worms and small Fish, on which it principally feeds. It also eats water
insects, which it catches by placing its bill, half open, on the surface
of the water, permitting them to float on to the lower part of the bill,
when it quickly closes the bill and makes them captive.