Roseate Spoonbills are usually found along the Gulf Coast in states like Florida and Louisiana. This year, a juvenile spoonbill was spotted in Dutchess County for the very first time.

Is it a flamingo? Not quite. A rare light pink bird was recently spotted in the Town of Poughkeepsie, marking the first time the species has ever been seen in Dutchess County.

The juvenile Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) found its way to a marsh near a Holiday Inn in south Poughkeepsie after also being spotted on the Casperkill Creek. The sightings were a first-ever occurrence for Dutchess County, and only the fifth sighting of the bird in New York State this year. Prior to 2021, there were only two other records of sightings, one in 1992 and one in 2018, said Julie Hart, New York Breeding Bird Atlas III Project Coordinator of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Spoonbills are a unique pink wading bird with a long, flat, spoon-shaped bill — looking almost like a platypus crossed with a flamingo. The platalea ajaja species — a family which includes herons and egrets — are known to wander this time of year after they’re done breeding in the south, said Hart.

“We tend to think of birds migrating south at the end of the summer, but this is a group of birds that wander in basically any direction,” said Hart. “This year saw an unprecedented number of birds that moved north.”

The spoonbill, which turns a deeper pink color as it ages, breeds along the Gulf Coast in states like Florida and Louisiana. This year, they’ve wandered as far north as New Hampshire and were spotted in other places like Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

“It’s an unusual year,” said Hart, who referenced other unique sightings like the yellow crowned night heron in Ithaca this year.

Dutchess County bird groups, like the Ralph T. Waterman Bird Club, and residents excitedly shared the news of the spoonbill sighting online and via the neighborhood-focused Nextdoor app.

While Hart said it’s too soon to know exactly why the birds are moving even farther north, she suggested it could be a combination of weather conditions or patterns, or it could be due to a really successful breeding season for the birds.

Spoonbills tend to stay in one place after wandering, opting to remain solo. They live in marshes where they find their food using their unique bill that is spoon-shaped on the bottom.

In the fall, the spoonbill will return south.

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Cloey Callahan is a lifelong Hudson Valley resident who was born and raised in Brewster and covered news for the Hudson Valley team.