# Pied Avocet (*Recurvirostra avosetta*) The Pied Avocet is a beautiful bird with long legs and a curved beak. They love to wade in shallow waters, searching for tasty insects and small fish to eat. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Pied Avocet](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Avocette_%C3%A9l%C3%A9gante_Thyna019.jpg&width=800) Photo: El Golli Mohamed, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Avocette_%C3%A9l%C3%A9gante_Thyna019.jpg) ## Appearance The Pied Avocet has striking black and white feathers with a long, thin, upturned black bill. Its elegant body is supported by distinctive long, bluish-grey legs, making it easily recognizable in wetlands. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Charadriiformes - **Family:** Recurvirostridae - **Genus:** Recurvirostra ## Interesting facts - Avocet chicks are super speedy and can swim and find food just hours after hatching! - Their bills are perfectly designed, like a tiny vacuum cleaner, for water feeding! - These birds often stand on one leg to save energy and keep warm! - They build simple nests, often just a scrape on the ground, close to water. ## Special abilities - **Scythe Sweeper:** Pied Avocet can sweep its upturned bill from side to side to catch tiny aquatic prey hidden in shallow water. - **Synchronized Hunter:** Pied Avocets can feed in groups, stirring up food together by moving their bills in unison across the water. - **Dive Bomb Defender:** Pied Avocets have aggressive parents that can dive-bomb predators to bravely protect their precious nests and chicks. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 42-45 cm - **Wingspan:** 67-77 cm - **Weight:** 0.29-0.4 kg - **Lifespan:** 8-10 years - **Speed:** 60 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 3-5 - **Incubation:** 22-24 days - **Migration Distance:** 3000 km ## Diet & Feeding These elegant birds use their special upturned bills to sweep up tiny creatures living in shallow water. - **Primary Foods:** Brine shrimp, Insect larvae, Aquatic worms, Small crustaceans - **Foraging Method:** Filter feeding ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** Brine Shrimp (*Artemia salina*) — A key food source in salty waters. - **Eats:** Non-biting Midge (*Chironomus plumosus*) — Its larvae are a common food item. - **Eaten by:** [Herring Gull](https://www.snappit.app/explore/herring-gull) (*Larus argentatus*) — Gulls can prey on avocet eggs and chicks. - **Eaten by:** [Red Fox](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-fox) (*Vulpes vulpes*) — Known to raid nests for eggs and young. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Webbed Feet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/webbed-feet): Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Filter Feeder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/filter-feeder): Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water. - [Insectivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/insectivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. - [Threatened](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/threatened): Threatened status denotes a species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future without effective conservation interventions. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low If you see a bird, watch quietly from a distance so you don't scare it away. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Pied Avocet? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Pied Avocet? 42-45 cm ### What is Pied Avocet's wingspan? 67-77 cm ### How much does Pied Avocet weigh? 0.29-0.4 kg ### How long does Pied Avocet live? 8-10 years ### How fast can Pied Avocet move? 60 km/h ### What does Pied Avocet eat? These elegant birds use their special upturned bills to sweep up tiny creatures living in shallow water. ### Where is Pied Avocet usually found? Wetlands ## Where to spot - [Heimat-Tierpark Olderdissen, Bielefeld](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/heimattierpark-olderdissen-bielefeld) — Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE · Zoo - [Tierpark Dessau](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/tierpark-dessau) — Sachsen-Anhalt, DE · Zoo - [Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/lower-saxony-wadden-sea-national-park) — Niedersachsen, DE · Park - [Parc Natural de l’Albufera, Valencia](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/albufera-natural-park-valencia) — Comunitat Valenciana, ES · Park - [Alcázar de San Juan Lagoon Complex Nature Reserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/alcazar-de-san-juan-lagoon-complex-nature-reserve) — Castilla-La Mancha, ES · Park - [Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/schleswig-holstein-wadden-sea-national-park) — Schleswig-Holstein, DE · Park [View all places to see Pied Avocet](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/pied-avocet) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Pied Avocet: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pied-avocet)