American Avocet

Information About The Bird

Seen/Heard at
Mississippi River Flyway

Diet
American Avocets are generalist feeders who adapt their diet to fit their surroundings, although they most commonly forage in shallow water and along shorelines. Avocets eat a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates, including water boatmen, midges, brine flies, fairy shrimp, water fleas, and amphipods, as well as small fish, seeds from aquatic plants, and terrestrial insects that have fallen in the water.

Avocets forage by scything, or sweeping their bills from side to side. With each step they put their bill in the water and move it in the direction of their outstretched foot. Stirring up the lake or river bottom flushes small invertebrates and attracts minnows and larger invertebrates looking for a meal. Try it the next time you are at the beach, and you’ll see why avocets hunt the way they do! They also capture prey by pecking at or plunging their heads into the water to capture it.

Nesting

Citations and attributions

General Description

Migration

Measurements

Wing Design