Widespread throughout its large range, the royal spoonbill is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

It eats fish, shellfish, crabs and amphibians, catching its prey by making a side-to-side movement with its bill.

[6] The royal spoonbill is carnivorous, catching small animals by sweeping its bill through shallow water and swallowing prey once detected.

The bird walks slowly, kicking up debris and small animals from the bottom of the body of water, which it senses and catches with its bill.

[6] Prey items recorded at Lake Cowal include freshwater crustaceans such as the common yabby (Cherax destructor), shrimp of the genus Macrobrachium and family Atyidae, insects, particularly aquatic bugs of the families Notonectidae and Corixidae, fish such as mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) and goldfish (Carassius auratus), and occasionally freshwater snails and plant material such as medic burr (Medicago polymorpha).