Royal Spoonbill

The Royal Spoonbill Platadla regia is a bird of Australia's wetlands, both saltwater and fresh. They feed by swishing their spoon shaped bill through the water, picking up small crustaceans, fish and insects. This one is in breeding plumage, with long plumes on the top of its head. In the photo they are laying down and loose, but they can be raised like a crown. It was photographed at Fogg Dam in the Northern Territory. The bird in the background looks like some sort of cormorant.