Breeding The adult Black-faced Spoonbills return to breeding grounds earlier than the juveniles. They use old branches and leaves to build nests perched on cliffs on offshore islands. The spoonbills share their breeding grounds at the Korean peninsula with other shorebirds, such as Grey Heron, Cormorant and Black-tailed Gull. On the islands in the Liaoning Province, the breeding grounds are shared with Chinese Egret, Little Egret, etc. After their return, the spoonbills start breeding in May. They begin courtship, mating and laying eggs in early June. The incubation period usually lasts about 30 days. The newly hatched chicks can leave their nests after 35 days. They stay with their parents for 30 more days in this breeding area and finally become independent. Researchers discovered three nests in Liaoning Province in early June of 1999. One of them was successfully hatched and the chicks were able to leave the nest. Another two nests had two and three eggs respectively. The egg is mainly white in colour and a bit larger than that of hen. They are usually stained with their parents' droppings. The eggs were believed to be a second brood as the first brood is usually produced in mid-June.