The Eurasian spoonbill Platalea leucorodia in Sicily between 1972 and 2018, distribution and ecology

The observations of the Eurasian spoonbill made in Sicily between 1972 and 2018 were collected and analyzed. The presences, initially scarce and referred to a few sites, have consolidated over time, and gradually have affected an increasing number of sites. The observations were concentrated in the coastal salt pans and exsalt pans systems, secondarily in the mouths and in inland waters, below 100 m a.s.l.. The greatest number of Eurasian spoonbill was found in the migration period, both post and pre-reproductive; in the summer the lowest values. The average number of birds per flock, compared to subsequent years, from November to January did not vary significantly, while it was variable in…