According to BBC, a family of spoonbills, including a pair of parents and three chicks, was found in the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) reserve located in Cambridgeshire (UK).
Currently, there are three pairs of spoonbills living in the RSPB reserve, including the newly discovered pair. Conservationists discovered them in mid-June, and this information has just been officially announced on the RSPB website.
According to conservation experts, this is the first pair of spoonbills to nest in the wild since the species recovery program began in 2010.
Witnessing the return of spoonbills once again has left Johnathan Taylor, a senior manager at RSPB, deeply moved and surprised. He also considers this a significant milestone in his over 30-year career at RSPB.
These birds are called "Spoonbill" in the UK, characterized by their long, flat bills with a distinctive round tip resembling a spoon. Conservationists humorously refer to the chicks as "teaspoons" due to their smaller bill size.
Additionally, they have a slender body and snow-white plumage, similar to the storks of Vietnam. Their primary habitat is wetlands.
This species was once very common in the UK in the 16th century but became extinct in the country in 1668 due to overhunting and habitat loss caused by human activities.
In 2010, conservationists launched the Spoonbill recovery program in the UK and have recorded many positive results. The first flock of Spoonbills was released at the Holkham Nature Reserve in Norfolk (UK).
It is estimated that there are currently about 90 pairs of spoonbills living in various locations across the UK. This is a promising result for the more than 10 years of conservation efforts.
