Animal Profiles
Birds

Avocet

Recurvirostra

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

Avocets are long-legged wading birds with upward-curving bills. The American avocet (Recurvirostra americana), described here, searches shallow North American wetlands for small food items.

Recurvirostra americana (avocet)

Representative species: Recurvirostra americana.

Dan Pancamo · CC BY-SA

At a glance

Location
North American wetlands and coastal shallows.
Habitat
Wetlands, Rivers and lakes, Coast
Diet
Omnivore
Food
Aquatic insects, crustaceans and some plant material.

Classification

Common name
Avocet
Browse group
Birds
Scientific name or taxon
Recurvirostra
Source classification
Aves

Three things to know

  • Breeding adults have rusty-coloured heads and necks.
  • Both parents incubate the eggs.
  • Chicks can feed themselves soon after hatching.

Habitat and range

American avocets use ponds, marshes, mudflats and shores. Many breed in western North America and move to milder coastal or southern wetlands for winter.

Appearance and adaptations

Blue-grey legs support a black-and-white body. The slender black bill curves upwards; its shape differs somewhat between males and females.

Diet and behaviour

A feeding avocet swings its partly open bill through shallow water, taking insects and other small organisms. It also eats seeds and aquatic vegetation. Pairs nest in shallow ground scrapes, often close to other avocets.

Sources

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