Some of my favorite birds are the spoonbills of the genus Platalea within the Threskiornithidae family. Spoonbills are wading birds found on every continent except Antarctica and characterized by the broad, flatted tip on their bills. Sweeping their bill back and forth underwater, spoonbills use their bill tip to gather up small invertebrates, amphibians, and fishes. Figures exist for four of the six species but the only decent ones still in production are a black-faced spoonbill from CollectA and this 2022 Eurasian spoonbill by Papo that we’re looking at today.
The Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) is also known as the common spoonbill and is found across Eurasia, from Spain and the British Isles to Japan, as well as northeast Africa. They live in shallow open wetlands with muddy or sandy bottoms.
Papo’s figure stands 3” (7.62 cm) tall to the back and measures 3.25” (8.255 cm) long. The actual spoonbill measures about 27-37” (70–95 cm) long. Measured along the curve of its neck the figure comes out to be 5” (12.7 cm) in length which would put it in the 1/14 to 1/19 scale range.
The figure is presented in mid stride affixed to a base that is colored and textured to look like mud. The base adds stability, but the legs have been slightly thickened to add additional support, it’s nothing egregious though. I’ve seen other bird figures with legs much thicker than this. The bill has a ridged texture, and the wing and tail feathers have some etching in them that gives the illusion of vanes. Scale detail is not apparent on the legs but there is webbing between the toes. Overall, the sculpture is fantastic, being both realistic and accurate to the real animal.
This spoonbill is painted white with a bit of a tan wash that brings out the feather detail. The legs and feet are mottled gray and black and the base it stands on is mottled gray and green. The bill is black with an orange tip. With its all-white plumage, colored bill tip, and sculpted feather crest resting on the back of the head, this bird represents a breeding adult. Alas, breeding adults also have yellow patches on their throat and chest and those are missing here. The eyes are also painted black when they should be red.
Aside from some color inaccuracies I see nothing on this figure worth criticizing. It’s a beautiful figure and a marked improvement over something like the previously reviewed Papo cormorant, released only two years prior. The Papo Eurasian spoonbill is still in production and retails for about $7.99.
This figure was an instant purchase when it became available! I will be in Florida next month for my annual baseball stadium excursion, and I hope to document the Rosette Spoonbill as a lifer!
I got lucky with my lifer rosette spoonbills, they came to me! A few years ago we had four of them spend the summer in Delaware. Only had to drive an hour and a half to see them.