Roseate Spoonbill Chicks Hatch at Bronx Zoo

Two roseate spoonbill chicks sit in their nest with their mother at the Whildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo. Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society

NEW YORK—Two roseate spoonbill chicks just hatched at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. They join the nine adult roseate spoonbills in the zoo’s Aquatic Bird House.

The fluffy, pink bird gets its name from its spoon-shaped beak, which helps it forage for insects, plants, crustaceans, and mollusks, according to a press release.

The birds are native to the wetlands in Southeastern United States, Mexico, and South America. They typically live in colonies.

Roseate spoonbills have a rough history, due to the popularity of fans made from their wing feathers in the early 1800s. Hats made from their feathers were also popular, according to the National Park Service. Their numbers have since increased, however, thanks to National Parks that preserve the wetlands where they nest.