Red-necked Avocet
Recurvirostra novaehollandiae
Distinctive shorebird with very long and dramatically up-curved bill, dark red head and neck. In flight shows patches of black on the back, shoulders, and wing-tips. Usually seen on or near water, both on the coast and inland. Wades in shallow water; readily swims in deeper water. It is the only avocet species in Australia.
Identification
The distinguishing feature of the red-necked avocet, and all avocet species, is the distinctive upcurved bill that is used for skimming the surface of water to catch small invertebrates. The adult's head and neck is a rich chestnut brown in colour (from which it derives its name) with a narrow white eye ring and a red-brown iris. The secondary coverts and primary feathers are black and the remainder of the plumage is white. The bill is black and the legs are a pale grey-blue. Both male and female are similar in colouring and size; neither is there seasonal variation in appearance. Juveniles are similar in appearance and difficult to identify once post-juvenile moult has started, the head is sometimes paler and browner that the adults. An average adult red-necked avocet measures 43–45 cm (17–17.5 in) from head to tail, and has a total wingspan of around 75 cm (29.5 in), wing length 22.4–23 cm, tail length 7.9–8.8 cm, and bill length of 8.2–9.5 cm, and weighs around 310 g.<p>The call has been described as a yapping, and flocks in flight making a sound reminiscent of dogs barking.
Taxonomy
The French naturalist Louis Pierre Vieillot described the red-necked avocet in 1816, and it still bears its original name. It is one of four species of avocet that make up the genus Recurvirostra. A 2004 study combining genetics and morphology showed that it was the sister taxon to a lineage that gave rise to the Andean and American avocets.
- Scientific name
- Recurvirostra novaehollandiae
- Authority
- Vieillot, 1816
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Recurvirostridae
- Genus
- Recurvirostra
Range and habitat
Like many waterbirds found in Australia, the red-necked avocet is highly nomadic, due mainly to the high variation in rainfall, moving around the continent in search of suitable habitat. It has a very wide range in Australia but is comparatively rare on the northern and north-eastern coasts. The birds have a preference for salt or brackish water and are generally found in shallow wetland areas that are either fresh or salt, or on estuarine mudflats. The species is rare in Tasmania and an occasional vagrant to New Zealand.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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