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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
American
avocet, blue shanks |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Charadriiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Recurvirostridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Recurvirosta
(backward curved beak) americana (of America) |
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| 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. |
| FEMALE |
The
bill curves up a little bit more than in the male. |
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| SIZE: |
Approximately
41-51 cm (16.4-20.4 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Approximately
300-420 g (11-15 oz.) |
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| DIET: |
Includes
crustaceans and other aquatic animals and plant
life |
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| INCUBATION: |
22-24 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
3-5
eggs |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
1 year |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Averages
5 years |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
mudflats, saline lakes, fresh water and saltwater
marshes, and coastal bays |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Avocets
feed by thrusting their bill underwater and swinging
it side to side along the bottom to stir up aquatic
insects. |
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| 2. |
Their nests are little more than depressions in
the sand or platforms of grass on mudflats. Should
the water rise, the breeding pair raises the nest
a foot or more with sticks, weeds, bones, and feathers
to keep the eggs above water. |
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| 3. |
After hatching, the young not only feed themselves,
but they can also swim. |
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| 4. |
As
a defense, avocets usually use 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. |
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| 5. |
Shorebirds
embark on one of the longest migrations of any North
American birds, journeying from arctic nesting grounds
to winter in Central and South America. Many species
travel more than 15,000 miles round-trip and flying
at altitudes exceeding 10,000 feet at 50 mph! |
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| Loss
of breeding habitats as well as alteration or destruction
of wetlands is of concern. Nests are susceptible
to trampling by cattle, flooding, and pollution.
The small breeding population also makes the species
susceptible to random climate and environmental
changes. |
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|
|
Gotch, A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained.
Poole, Dorst: Blandford Press, 1981. |
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Perrins, C. Birds: Their Life, Their Ways,
Their World. New York: The Reader's Digest
Association, Inc. 1979.
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| Perrins,
C. M. and Dr. Alex L.A. Middleton, eds. The Encyclopedia
of Birds. New York: Facts on File Pub. 1985. |
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| Perrins,
C. M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds:
The Definitive Reference to Birds of the World.
New York: Prentice Hall Press. 1990. |
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| Robbins,
C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S. Birds of North America.
New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc. 1966. |
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| http://www.desertusa.com/magoct97/oct_pa/du_bnstil.html |
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Thompson,
P. 2002. "Recurvirostra americana"
(On-line), Animal Diversity Web. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/
Recurvirostra_americana.html |
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| United
States Geological Survey. http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i2260id.html |
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