american avocet Recurvirostra americana

Distinctive large shorebird with a long, thin, upturned bill. Look for bold black-and-white wings and long blue-gray legs. Breeding adults have buffy-orange wash on head and neck; grayish in winter. Females have more sharply upturned bills than males. Widespread and fairly common in North America, although rare or absent from much of the eastern U.S. Usually seen in flocks, sometimes numbering into the hundreds, foraging in shallow wetlands or estuaries. Feeds by swinging its head back-and-forth through the water to catch small invertebrates.