Pied avocet
Recurvirostra avosetta
Nastya Klimova · Inkit, Abkhazia Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 42–46 cm, wingspan 67–77 cm; 267–382 g
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, insects, small fish
- Status in Georgia
- Migrant
- Recorded regions
- Kvemo Kartli; Shida Kartli; Abkhazia; Adjara
- Habitat
- Salt and shallow lakes, lagoons, estuaries
- Family
- Recurvirostridae
- Conservation
- Global LC (2021); Georgia LC (2024)
The pied avocet has an upturned bill, which it uses to find food in shallow water: it sweeps the bill from side to side through the water like a scythe, a technique found only in avocets. It is 42–46 cm long with a wingspan of 67–77 cm and weighs 267–382 g. The plumage is black and white: a black cap reaches down the nape, there are black bands on the wings, and the rest is white. The legs are long and bluish. The plumage does not change through the year. It is harmless to people. If you see a black-and-white bird on a lake shallow with a thin, upturned bill, it is a pied avocet: no other bird looks like it. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a migrant. In Georgia it is seen mainly on autumn migration, in August and September, and less often in spring. Most records come from Kvemo Kartli, at Kumisi Lake, followed by Shida Kartli, Abkhazia and Adjara. It is rated Least Concern (LC) both globally and in Georgia.
Identification
Pied avocet: how to identify it
Black-and-white plumage, long bluish legs and a thin, upturned black bill make the pied avocet impossible to confuse with other birds. In flight the wingtips and shoulders are black and the legs extend beyond the tail.
Adults have a black cap that reaches down the nape. The primaries are black and black bands run along the wings, while the rest of the body and the tail are white. The plumage is the same in summer and winter.
It is 42–46 cm long with a wingspan of 67–77 cm and weighs 267–382 g. Males have a straighter bill of 8.2–9.1 cm, while females have a shorter, more curved bill of 7.2–8.5 cm. The legs are bluish.
Young birds have dingy grey-brown wing coverts, a ginger-brown pattern on the back and greyish legs. By late September they look like adults. The call is a fluty "plut-plut" or "klup-klup".
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
It breeds in flat, open areas on shallow saline or brackish wetlands with islands and shores of bare sand, clay or mud: on lakes, coastal lagoons, estuaries and salt pans. Outside the breeding season it lives on coastal and inland salt lakes, mudflats, lagoons and river deltas. It is rarely seen on freshwater lakes and rivers. It occurs from sea level up to 3,000 m. In Georgia most records come from Kvemo Kartli: from Kumisi Lake, and also from Gardabani Municipality and Bashplemi Lake. In Shida Kartli it is found at Nadarbazevi Lake, in Abkhazia at Lake Inkit near Pitsunda and at Gagra, and in Adjara in the Chorokhi Delta and near Batumi. It has also been seen once in Samtskhe-Javakheti, in Ninotsminda Municipality.
The pied avocet map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. Four regions have enough records: Kvemo Kartli, Shida Kartli, Abkhazia and Adjara.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It eats mainly small aquatic invertebrates: worms, small crustaceans, bivalve molluscs and insects 4–15 mm long, such as beetles and midges. It also takes small fish and plant seeds. It searches for food in water 4–10 cm deep, sweeping its bill from side to side. Sometimes it swims in deeper water and dips its head like a duck.
Northern populations fly south between August and October and return between March and May. On the way they stop in large numbers at certain sites. On migration and in winter it lives in groups, usually feeding in parties of 5–30 birds and roosting in flocks of several thousand. It breeds from April to August in colonies, usually of 10–70 pairs. The nest is a scrape near water on an islet or dike, in sand, short grass or debris. The female usually lays 4 eggs, and both parents incubate for an average of 23 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and fly at 35–42 days. Parents defend the chicks from predators by feigning a broken wing or swooping at intruders.
Globally the pied avocet is rated Least Concern (LC, 2021). There are about 280,000–470,000 birds worldwide, with 58,400–74,300 pairs in Europe. The overall trend is uncertain: some populations are decreasing while others are increasing or stable, and in Europe numbers fluctuate. It is threatened by wetland pollution with pesticides, lead and mercury, by development of wintering sites and by disturbance. Avian botulism and avian influenza could cause serious losses in the future. In Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC, 2024).
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a migrant. It is seen most often in August and September, and less often in April, May and July.
Most often at Kumisi Lake and Nadarbazevi Lake. It has also been seen at Lake Inkit near Pitsunda, at Gagra, in the Chorokhi Delta, near Batumi, and in Gardabani and Ninotsminda municipalities.
By its black-and-white plumage, long bluish legs and thin, upturned black bill. In shallow water it sweeps its bill from side to side. No other bird looks like it.
It is 42–46 cm long with a wingspan of 67–77 cm and weighs 267–382 g. The bill is 7–9 cm long.
Small aquatic invertebrates: worms, crustaceans, molluscs and insects, as well as small fish and seeds. It searches for food in shallow water and mud.
In colonies, usually of 10–70 pairs, from April to August, by shallow saline water on an islet or dike. The female usually lays 4 eggs, both parents incubate for an average of 23 days, and the chicks fly at 35–42 days.
It is harmless to people. It is rated Least Concern (LC) both globally and in Georgia. Wetland pollution and development, as well as bird diseases, threaten it. If you find an injured bird, call 112 or the environmental protection service.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
