A Roseate Spoonbill in the Saline's Koch Warner Drain is Causing a Stir

A new visitor to the Saline area has become a roadside attraction.

A roseate spoonbill has been spotted in the Koch Warner Drain - just south of the Saline-Milan Road bridge south of the city limits.

Cynthia Loizides-Weber posted a picture of the bird in flight in the Saline Posts Facebook group and noted that the bird had been drawing a crowd. The Saline Post arrived on the scene around 8:45 p.m. on a dark, rainy evening, and managed a few shots as it was feeding upstream. 

The tall pink bird, which can have a wing span of 52 inches, resembles a pink flamingo at first glance.  It uses its spoonbill to feed on crustaceans, frogs and fish in marshy areas.

It is known to live in South America and coastal regions in Central America, Texas, Louisiana and Florida.

A roseate  spoonbill this far north is rare.

According to a post on the Saline Police Department's Facebook page, DNR biologists believe the bird may have escaped from a zoo.

The bird's arrival has caused a minor stir and people are out on the bridge taking photos in the rain in the evening. The Saline Police Department reported it was receiving calls from motorists concerned about vehicles parked on the road and standing in the northbound lane of traffic.

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