American Avocet

Identification

The American avocet is a striking large wader measuring 40–51 cm in length with a wingspan of 68–76 cm. Its most distinctive feature is its long, slender black bill that curves slightly upwards—a unique adaptation reflected in its scientific name, which combines the Latin words for "curved" and "bill." The bird has characteristically long, slender legs with slightly webbed feet that are a distinctive pastel grey-blue colour, earning it the colloquial name "blue shanks."

The plumage is boldly patterned in black and white on the back with a white underbelly. During breeding season, the head and neck display striking brassy orange plumage that extends partway down the breast—a dramatic transformation that reverses after breeding, when these bright feathers are replaced with white and grey. The avocet's vocalizations include a shrill, melodic alarm call described as "bweet," along with a loud repeated "wheep" and a distinctive distressed screech used as a broken wing call.

Range & Habitat

Once widespread across most of the United States, American avocets have been extirpated from the East Coast but remain common in western and midwestern regions. Their breeding habitat encompasses marshes, beaches, prairie ponds, and shallow lakes in areas just east of the Rocky Mountains, ranging from southern Canada southward through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Utah, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Colorado, and into New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Flocks of 50 to 300 birds migrate together during peak season, typically peaking around April or May.

Wintering grounds are primarily coastal, found along the Atlantic Ocean in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida; along the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, Texas, and Mexico; and along the Pacific coast in California and Mexico. Resident populations persist year-round in parts of central California and several Mexican states including Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Mexico City, and Puebla.

Behaviour & Diet

American avocets spend much of their time foraging in shallow water and on mud flats, characteristically sweeping their specialized curved bills from side to side through water to capture crustacean and insect prey. During breeding season, pairs establish territories and engage in elaborate copulatory displays involving preening, which may be initiated by either sex. After breeding concludes, birds gather in large flocks sometimes numbering in the hundreds.

Nesting occurs near water, often alongside black-necked stilts, typically on small islands or mucky shorelines with minimal vegetation. Avocets construct shallow ground indentations lined with grass, feathers, pebbles, or other small objects—though some nests remain unlined. Pairs typically lay three to five eggs, with four being most common, incubating them for 23 to 25 days. Both parents share incubation duties, with males more involved during the first eight days. Young avocets are precocial, able to walk and feed themselves immediately, and begin flying four to five weeks after hatching. Pairs vigorously defend territories against predators and rival avocets, with multiple adults surrounding any approaching threat.

Best Time & Places to See It

Spring migration in April and May offers the best opportunity to encounter American avocets in large numbers as flocks move northward to breeding grounds. Breeding birds are most readily observed from late spring through summer in shallow wetlands throughout the Great Plains and intermountain West, particularly in suitable marshes, prairie ponds, and lakes in Montana, Idaho, Utah, the Dakotas, and Colorado.

Winter observations are best made along the Pacific coast of California, the Gulf Coast of Texas and Florida, or the Atlantic coastline of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Central California supports year-round resident populations offering reliable viewing opportunities outside migration peaks.

Photography Tips

The avocet's bold black-and-white plumage and striking curved bill make it highly photogenic in any season, but breeding plumage with its brilliant brassy-orange head and neck offers the most dramatic colouration. Photograph foraging birds in shallow water to capture their characteristic side-to-side bill-sweeping behaviour—a key identification feature and compelling natural behaviour. Early morning light enhances the contrast between their black and white markings.

Approach breeding colonies cautiously; multiple adults will display defensive behaviour, providing excellent opportunities to photograph alarm calls and territorial posturing. Capture the birds' distinctive long legs and pastel blue-grey shanks by positioning yourself at water level. Large flocks during migration present opportunities for dynamic composition and behaviour documentation as birds interact in communal settings.