| Pied Avocet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Recurvirostridae |
| Genus: | Recurvirostra |
| Species: | Recurvirostra avosetta |
The Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), simply the Avocet, is a common European bird.
Appearance[]
This bird is striking and essentially unmistakable in its range, with elegant shape, boldly pied plumage, long bluish-gray legs, and long, slender, upwards-curving bill. The curving is more accentuated in the female. Slightly larger than the Black-winged Stilt, its length is approximately 41.9-45.1 cm, of which the bill is between 7.5 and 8.5 cm and legs are 7.6-10.2 cm. It has a wingspan of 76-80 cm and a mass of about 300 g.
Habitat[]
This bird lives in wetlands from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean sea.
Life History[]
Diet[]
It sweeps its odd beak side to side to sense and catch aquatic worms, insects, plankton and small fish in the mud.
Behavior[]
It is very social during nonbreeding season; its flocks numbering in hundreds. During breeding season, these shorebirds breed small flocks. The Avocet is a very territorial bird and often attacks and mobs predators like harriers, herons and ducks away from nesting areas.
Nesting[]
Avocets nest on open ground, often in small groups, sometimes with other waders. 3–5 eggs are laid in a lined scrape or on a mound of vegetation.
Gallery[]
