The plumage of adults is white. The face, devoid of feathers, has red skin.

The peculiar beak that gives these birds their name is an adaptation to their way of fishing. Spoonbills capture their food by touch. With their beak semi-submerged and half-open, they walk through shallow water, moving their heads from side to side, until they find an invertebrate or small fish.

It usually nests in colonies, which may be only its own species or may be made up of other birds. The nest is built on trees, bushes, aquatic vegetation and on rocks. The clutch is usually two to four eggs that are incubated by both parents. It is a special characteristic of the African spoonbill that the female incubates the eggs during the day, while the male does so at night. At five weeks old, the chicks can fly like adults.

They remain in the care of their parents for about two more weeks.

Species in West Africa and Sudan breed during the dry season, in East and Central Africa in the rainy season, and in the South in winter or early spring.