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Recurvirostra americana J.F.Gmelin, 1789
American Avocet
Florida native
A winter visitor in freshwater and saltwater flats through the coastal areas of Florida. The winter range includes southern California, Mexico, the southeastern United States coast from Texas to North Carolina, Cuba and the Bahamas.
American avocets breed in the western great plains from Saskatchewan and Alberta south into New Mexico and Texas. Migration is through much of the western United States and Mexico, and they are a frequent fall visitor to the Atlantic Coast.
A large shorebird typically 43-47 cm (17-19 in.) long with a wingspan of 72 cm (28 in.), females being slightly smaller and having a shorter, more curved bill than the males. The underside is white, with black and white wings, the head and neck are rust-colored during breeding, gray otherwise. Juveniles are pale rusty on the upper head and back of the neck, white on the lower face and front of the neck. The black, long, thin, upturned beak is distinctive on Recurvirostra americana. The long grayish-blue legs help differentiate this species from godwits, which have shorter, darker legs as well as very different markings.
Recurvirostra americana is a member of the Recurvirostridae - Avocets and Stilts family.
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds page for this species
Date record last modified: Mar 03, 2025
