Scientific Classification

Common Name

American avocet

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Recurvirostridae

Genus Species

Recurvirosta (backward curved beak) americana (of America)

Fast Facts

Description

The American avocet is a long-legged shorebird with a distinctive long, thin bill that curves upward. It has a black and white striped pattern on the back and sides. During the breeding season, the head and neck are pinkish-tan and during the winter a grayish-white color. The legs and feet are bluish-gray in color. The female's bill curves up a little bit more than in the male.

Size

Approximately 41 to 51 cm (16.4 to 20.4 in.)

Weight

Approximately 300 to 420 g (11 to 15 oz.)

Diet

Includes crustaceans and other aquatic animals and plant life

Incubation

22 to 24 days

Clutch Size

3 to 5 eggs

Sexual Maturity

Approximately 1 year

Life Span

Averages 5 years

Range

This species has an extremely large range and can be found in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States, Venezuela, and Bolivia.

Habitat

Inhabits mudflats, saline lakes, fresh water and saltwater marshes, and coastal bays

Population

The total population is very large with at least 10,000 mature individuals. The population appears to be stable and is not severely fragmented.

Status 

IUCN: Least Concern
CITES: Not listed
USFWS:  Not listed

Fun Facts

Avocets feed by thrusting their bill underwater and swinging it side to side along the bottom to stir up aquatic insects.

Their nests are little more than depressions in the sand or platforms of grass on mudflats. If the water rises, the breeding pair raises the nest a foot or more with sticks, weeds, bones, and feathers to keep the eggs above water.

After hatching, the young not only feed themselves, but they can also swim.

Avocets will defend themselves using distraction tactics such as loud screeching, a "crippled bird" act, and even a "dive bomb" display where the bird will swoop down on the predator and narrowly miss it until the intruder turns away.

Ecology and Conservation

The loss of suitable nesting habitat and the destruction of wetlands are the primary threats to these birds. Nests are also susceptible to trampling by cattle, flooding, and pollution.

The small breeding population also makes the species susceptible to random climate and environmental changes.

Bibliography

Gotch, A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained. Poole, Dorst: Blandford Press, 1981

Perrins, C. Birds: Their Life, Their Ways, Their World. New York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. 1979.

Perrins, C. M. and Dr. Alex L.A. Middleton, eds. The Encyclopedia of Birds. New York: Facts on File Pub. 1985.

Perrins, C. M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds: The Definitive Reference to Birds of the World. New York: Prentice Hall Press. 1990.

Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S. Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc. 1966.

http://www.desertusa.com/magoct97/oct_pa/du_bnstil.html

Thompson, P. 2002. "Recurvirostra americana" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Recurvirostra_americana.html

United States Geological Survey. http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i2260id.html

BirdLife International. 2016. Recurvirostra americana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22693717A93418724. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693717A93418724.en. Downloaded on 29 November 2018.