Paddlefish vs. Spoonbill — What's the Difference?

Paddlefish (family Polyodontidae) are basal Chondrostean ray-finned fish. They have been referred to as "primitive fish" because they have evolved with few morphological changes since the earliest fossil records of the Early Cretaceous, 120 to 125 million years ago.

Spoonbills are a genus, Platalea, of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica.

Either of two fishes of the family Polyodontidae that have a long paddle-shaped snout, Psephurus gladius of the Yangtze River or Polyodon spathula of the Mississippi River basin, whose roe is used for caviar. Also called spoonbill.

Any of several long-legged wading birds of the genus Platalea, having a long, flat bill with a broadly spatulate tip.

Any of several primitive fish, of the family Polyodontidae, that have a long snout shaped like a paddle.

Any of various broad-billed ducks, such as the shoveler.

A large ganoid fish (Polyodon spathula) found in the rivers of the Mississippi Valley. It has a long spatula-shaped snout. Called also duck-billed cat, and spoonbill sturgeon.

See paddlefish.

Primitive fish of the Mississippi valley having a long paddle-shaped snout

Any of various large, long-legged wading birds in the ibis family Threskiornithidae, that have a large, flat, spatulate bill.

(US) A species of fish, Polyodon spathula, native to the Mississippi/Ohio/Missouri river basin, or extinct close relatives.

Any one of several species of wading birds of the genera Ajaja and Platalea, and allied genera, in which the long bill is broadly expanded and flattened at the tip.

The shoveler. See Shoveler, 2.

Wading birds having a long flat bill with a tip like a spoon