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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Shorebirds and Allies (Order Charadriiformes)

-Stilts and Avocets (Family Recurvirostridae)

-Avocets (Genus Recurvirostra)

-American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)


American avocets are found in western North America from March through October and in coastal California, southern Texas, Florida, Louisiana and south to Guatemala in winter. They are numerous in mudflats, ponds, wetlands, and freshwater marshes and swamps. They are also common in lakes, rocky/sandy seashores, bay/coastal islands, and tidal flats. These are migratory birds that form social groups and are colonial nesters. Outside of breeding season they may gather in flocks of several hundred and feed in dense groups. They swoop their open bills back and forth in shallow water to catch aquatic insects.

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Diet

  • Primarily aquatic insects and their larvae, crustaceans, marine worms, molluscs, and other aquatic invertebrates.

  • Also feeds on small fish, fish eggs, and seeds of aquatic plants.

  • Forages by sweeping its long, slender, upturned bill from side to side through shallow water or by picking prey from the water's surface and mud.

Range

  • Breeds in the interior western United States, the Great Plains, and southern Canada.

  • Winters along the Pacific, Gulf, and Atlantic coasts of the United States, Mexico, and into Central America.

  • A common winter visitor to the Zihuatanejo region, where it inhabits coastal lagoons, estuaries, salt ponds, mudflats, marshes, and other shallow wetlands.

  • Most abundant from September through April.

Male / Female

  • Male: Long bluish-gray legs, slender black upturned bill, white underparts, and black-and-white wings. During the breeding season, the head and neck are rich cinnamon-rust, and the bill is slightly longer and straighter than the female's.

  • Female: Similar plumage but generally slightly smaller, with a more noticeably upturned bill.

  • Non-breeding adults: Both sexes have white heads and necks with gray markings, making them very similar in appearance.

  • Sexes are best distinguished by bill shape, with females showing a more pronounced upward curve.

Size

  • Length: 40–51 cm (16–20 in)

  • Wingspan: 68–76 cm (27–30 in)

  • Weight: 275–420 g (9.7–14.8 oz)

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