Pied Avocet

The pied avocet is a wader of coastal lagoons and marshes, easily recognised by its long, slender, upturned black bill, long bluish legs and striking black-and-white plumage, with a black cap running down the back of the neck. It is about 40cm long with a wingspan of about 70cm. There is no seasonal change in plumage. The sexes are hard to tell apart, though the male's bill is longer and less curved than the female's. In flight the black wing-tips and shoulders show and the legs trail beyond the tail (Wikipedia, general species account).

It forages in shallow brackish water or on mudflats, sweeping its bill from side to side through the water, a technique unique to avocets, and eats mainly crustaceans and insects. It usually nests in colonies of 10 to 70 pairs on islets or banks near water, laying about four eggs in a shallow scrape, and defends its chicks fiercely against rivals and predators. In India it is a winter migrant. SoIB 2023 estimates a long-term decline of about 81% and a current fall of about 6% a year, and rates it a High conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).