Pied Avocet
Recurvirostra avosetta
Striking and essentially unmistakable, with elegant shape, boldly pied plumage, long bluish-gray legs, and long, slender, upcurved bill. Curve is stronger on female. Usually breeds in small colonies; nesting birds call noisily. Nonbreeding flocks locally number in hundreds. Feeds while wading or swimming, sweeping its bill side to side. Most common in coastal wetlands and brackish lagoons and estuaries, but will also appear inland, particularly on or near large lakes.
Identification
The pied avocet is a striking white wader with bold black markings. Adults have white plumage except for a black cap and black patches in the wings and on the back. They have long, upturned bills and long, bluish legs. It is approximately 16.5–17.75 in (41.9–45.1 cm) in length of which the bill is approximately 2.95–3.35 in (7.5–8.5 cm) and the legs are approximately 3–4 in (7.6–10.2 cm). Its wingspan is approximately 30–31.5 in (76–80 cm). Males and females look alike. The juvenile resembles the adult but with more greyish and sepia tones.<p>The call of the avocet is a far-carrying, liquid, melodious kluit kluit.
Taxonomy
The pied avocet was one of the many bird species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, where it was given the binomial name of Recurvirostra avosetta. This species gets its English and scientific names from the Venetian word avosetta. It appeared first in Ulisse Aldrovandi's Ornithologia (1603). While the name may refer to black and white outfits once worn by European advocates or lawyers, the actual etymology is uncertain. Other common names include black-capped avocet, Eurasian avocet or just avocet.<p>It is one of four species of avocet that make up the genus Recurvirostra. The genus name is from Latin recurvus, "curved backwards" and rostrum, "bill". A 2004 study combining genetics and morphology showed that it was the most divergent species in the genus.
- Scientific name
- Recurvirostra avosetta
- Authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Recurvirostridae
- Genus
- Recurvirostra
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- AF, PAL : inland and coastal s British Is., Iberian Pen., far s Scandinavia (nw to sw Europe) and sw Russia to Transbaikalia (ne Russia) and ne China s through n Middle East, c Asia to ec Afghanistan, Sind and Kutch (coastal Pakistan and nw India); e and s Africa
- Non-breeding range
- to coastal n Africa, inland w Africa, Indian Pen., Sri Lanka, c Myanmar, c Thailand, and e China
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
These birds forage in shallow brackish water or on mud flats, often scything their bills from side to side in water (a feeding technique that is unique to the avocets). They mainly eat crustaceans and insects.<p>Their breeding habitat is shallow lakes with brackish water and exposed bare mud. They nest on open ground, often in small groups, sometimes with other waders. Three to five eggs are laid in a lined scrape or on a mound of vegetation.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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