Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Pick up just about any introductory book on North American birds and you’re likely to find a section which shows a wide variety of bill types which different species employ to make a living. And almost without exception, an illustration of the beak of the Roseate Spoonbill will be included. And it’s easy to see why. Its unusual shape demands attention and its colorful plumage seals the deal.
Six species of spoonbills are found worldwide, but the Roseate is by far the most colorful. Its touch-sensitive spatulate bill is swung side to side in shallow waters and when fish, crustaceans, insects or other food is encountered, it snaps shut. Combine that with its long legs and the spoonbill seems ideally suited for the wetlands of tropical and subtropical America. Our largest member of the ibis family uses its God-given gift to maximize the opportunities where it is placed.
This same idea is beautifully expressed in 1 Peter 4:10. But it goes beyond the self-centered, self-serving mode to encompass others in its blessing and God will be given the glory. “Serve one another with the particular gifts God has given each of you, as faith dispensers of the magnificently varied grace of God.” (J.B. Phillips New Testament) The spoonbill is certainly beautiful, and unique, but it has nothing on the opportunity we have been given.