Species

American avocet

Recurvirostra americana

An elegant wader with an upturned bill that sweeps the water side to side, feeding by touch.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Adaptation

At a glance

Size: About 40 to 51 cm long
Weight: About 275 to 420 g
Habitat: Shallow coastal impoundments, mudflats and salt ponds
Diet: Aquatic insects, small crustaceans and seeds
In Georgia: An uncommon winter visitor on the coast
Voice: A loud "pleek"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Long, thin, upturned bill; black-and-white wings; long blue-grey legs; head and neck rusty in summer, grey in winter
Told apart from: Black-necked stilt, which has a straight bill and pink legs
Told apart from: Marbled godwit, which has a longer, slightly upturned pink-based bill and is brown
Where to look: Coastal impoundments and mudflats, November to March

Behaviour

Avocets feed by sweeping their bills back and forth through the water, catching prey by touch. Flocks sometimes feed together in lines.

Why they matter

The avocet's upturned bill and sweeping feeding style let it harvest small animals in water too murky to see through. It depends on shallow wetlands that are easily drained or polluted, and the coastal impoundments of the Southeast are important winter sites.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A scrape on open ground near water
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 22 to 29 days
Chicks — Leave the nest within a day
Flight — At about four to five weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over nine years are recorded

Living around people

Disturbance by people and dogs on mudflats forces feeding flocks to leave.

Misconceptions

The upturned bill is for digging. It is for sweeping through water and soft mud.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering	Wintering	Migrating west and north	Nesting in the West	Nesting	Chicks	Young flying	Moving to wintering sites	Migration	Arriving on the coast	Wintering	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 68 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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