Roseate Spoonbill

Robert Havell after John James Audubon

National Gallery of Art

This print shows a side view of a pink bird with its wings slightly outstretched, perched on a sloped brown bank with its head leaning down toward the water on the left. The bird has a long, white neck, a green head with red eyes surrounded by circles of pink, and a large beak that flares out at the end, similar to a spoon. The beak has white and black patterns on the top, which fade into a light blue at the bottom. The wings, legs, body, and feet of the bird are pink. In the background on the left, the horizon is in the center of the painting, revealing a wetland landscape with blue water and patches of green land. On the right, there is a patch of tall green grass behind the bird. The sky has soft gray clouds against a pale-yellow sky.