The tail is a tawny orange color. The head is bare and varies in color from a pale green to a greenish gray. It has a black skin area around the ear and nape of the neck. They have a long spatula shaped bill, or banjo bill , about 6 inches in length. It narrows in the center and widens to about 2 inches at the tip.
Immature birds have white plumage with varying tints of pink.
Of the six species of spoonbills only the Roseate Spoonbill lives in the Western Hemisphere. However, they all inhabit the warmer portions of the world. Roseate Spoonbills range from the Gulf coast of the United States southward to Argentina including the Bahamas, Caribbean, West Indies, and Cuba. One of the main requirements of their habitat is the presence of shallow water areas in close proximity to nesting and roosting sites. They have been known to feed in salt, fresh, and brackish water.