Pied Avocet: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Shorebirds · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. The avocet sweeps its upturned bill from side to side through shallow water, like a scythe. Only avocets feed this way.
2. When the water gets too deep to wade, an avocet can swim and dip its head under, just like a duck.
3. Both parents sit on the eggs. To swap shifts, one tosses bits of debris, then slides in under its partner to take over.
4. Avocet chicks are sometimes raised by other birds. In 1981 in France, oystercatchers fed one for two months, and it began acting like them.
5. Pied avocets live about 20 years, and one wild bird reached 36 years old.

The quiz

1. How does an avocet often feed in shallow water?

• It dives from high in the air
• It sweeps its bill from side to side (correct)
• It hammers shells on rocks
• It filters water through its teeth

It scythes its bill from side to side, a method only avocets use.

2. What can an avocet do in deeper water?

• Swim and dip its head like a duck (correct)
• Stand on one leg for days
• Run across the surface
• Hold its breath for an hour

It can swim in deeper water and dip its head, like a duck.

3. How do avocet parents swap shifts on the eggs?

• They sing a long song together
• One brings a fish as a gift
• They never swap: only the female sits
• One tosses debris, then slides in under the other (correct)

The swap ritual involves tossing debris and sliding under the sitting bird.

4. What happened to an avocet chick in Somme Bay in 1981?

• It was raised by gulls on a boat
• It flew to Africa alone
• It was fed by oystercatchers and began acting like them (correct)
• It hatched from a duck's nest

Oystercatchers fed it for two months and it picked up their behaviour.

5. Which charity uses the avocet as its logo?

• The RSPB (correct)
• The Red Cross
• UNICEF
• The Scouts

Its return to Minsmere in 1947 led the RSPB to adopt it as its logo.

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