Pied Avocet

The name of Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra Avosetta) derives from its typical dark head that reminds a hat wore by lawyers in the past. This breed nests all over temperate Europe and central Asia. Those birds that live in temperate regions do not migrate, whereas the others winter in the Southern Africa and in Southern Asia. In Italy, it is well known in Sardinia. It is elegant on the ground and prefers lagoons, swamps and brackish estuaries which are near to the sea. Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra Avosetta) inhabits rivers deltas or sandbanks and also areas with sparse vegetation. It particularly loves to eat small invertebrates as shellfishes which are hunted while is swimming on water surface or searching it at the bottom; so food is captured by the peculiar beak which is extremely thin, long and also slumped on high. Finally larval invertebrates integrate its diet. Breeding of Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra Avosetta) starts on April and finishes on July. It starts on bumps or on sand piles that are on muddy areas and also on the damp and brackish ones. Both parents prepare nest after very important and beautiful nuptial acts as a dance, a flight or a birdsong. Nest size depends on the place that is choose and on the ground features. It can be a little bit decorated or more elaborated, for example with reeds. Eggs are pear-shaped, brown and also dark spotted and they are incubated by both parents. Babies leave nest when they are born and they learn to fly in 3 weeks. Morphological typical feature of the Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra Avosetta) is beak which is full of receptors that pinpoint preys. Paws are 10 cm long and grey-blue. Plumage is unmistakable: totally white with an intense black line that starts from forehead till nape. Wing tip has a peculiar dark color while tail always is white. Female and male are identical but female colors are less brilliant and her black parts tend to brown. Babies wear adults plumage after 2 years. When is flying Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra Avosetta) shows not completely extended neck while paws are longer than tail length.