.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Louisiana's spoonbills seem to have expanded their range eastward and northward in recent years. The northernmost and easternmost records of these branch-nesting and colonial birds were new records in 1995 and 1996 in their respective areas. A spoonbill sweeps its bill through water, snapping it shut on insects, fish, and crustaceans that are detected by touch.
photos Copyright © 1999 by Brian Miller
male or female (main photo); immature (inset left)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Many of these tropical granivores were raised and released at refuges in southwestern Louisiana. They may nest colonially on the ground or in tree cavities and are thought to be expanding from Texas and the Louisiana introduction sites.
inset (left) Copyright © 1999 by Bill Bergen
main photo Copyright © 1999 by Brian Miller
female or male
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This species has invaded Louisiana in large numbers from 1916 onward. The first authentic breeding record was obtained in 1939. These ground-nesting and granivorous ducks show a propensity for rice fields, although they also breed in coastal marshes. The Atlas record in West Carroll Parish was from a rice field. The ducks seem to be expanding their population and range in Louisiana.
main photo Copyright © 1999 by Brian Miller at Audubon Zoo, New Orleans
inset (top) Copyright © 1999 by Brian Miller