Large white waterbird with a long spatula-shaped bill. Breeding adults have long plumes on the head and a smudging of yellow on the chest. The extensive black facial skin distinguishes this species from the Eurasian Spoonbill, the only other spoonbill in range. Often gathers in large flocks, occasionally mixing with Eurasians. Forages in mudflats, estuaries, lakes, and large marshes, sieving out aquatic invertebrates from the water, often in a side-to-side motion.