NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
African Spoonbill
Platalea alba Scopoli, 1786
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
African spoonbill (Platalea alba), Kazinga Channel, Uganda
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The African spoonbill (Platalea alba) is a long-legged wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The species is widespread across Africa and Madagascar, including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The species belongs to the genus Platalea, which also includes species such as the Black-faced spoonbill, Eurasian spoonbill, and Roseate spoonbill.
Wikipedia contributors, African spoonbill; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:08:33.330529+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Platalea alba Scopoli, 1786
- Name authority
- Scopoli, 1786
- Common name
- African Spoonbill
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Threskiornithidae
- Genus
- Platalea
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPelecaniformes
- familyThreskiornithidae Poche, 1904
- genusPlatalea Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesPlatalea alba Scopoli, 1786
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Platalea. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow-billed SpoonbillPlatalea flavipes Gould, 1838 | ThreskiornithidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia Linnaeus, 1758 | ThreskiornithidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Royal SpoonbillPlatalea regia Gould, 1838 | ThreskiornithidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=174935 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4JMRB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.