Taxonomy
A study of mitochondrial DNA of the spoonbills found that the Eurasian Spoonbill is sister taxon to a clade containing the Royal and Black-faced Spoonbills.
The Eurasian Spoonbill has three subspecies:
- P. l. leucorodia, the nominate race, occupies all the range except as below.
- P. l. balsaci. Islands off the Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania.
- P. l. archeri. The coasts of the Red Sea and Somalia.
Birds in Asia are sometimes separated as P. l. major
Read more about this topic: Eurasian Spoonbill