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Australian Wildlife

  Red-necked Avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae)





Red-necked Avocet | Recurvirostra novaehollandiae photo
Red-necked Avocet, seen on Rottnest Island.

Image by Grahame - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Red-necked Avocet | Recurvirostra novaehollandiae photo
Red-necked Avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae), Lake Joondalup, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Image by JJ Harrison (http://www.noodlesnacks.com/) - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Red-necked Avocet | Recurvirostra novaehollandiae photo
Red-necked Avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae), Lake Joondalup, Perth, Western Australia

Image by JJ Harrison (http://www.noodlesnacks.com/) - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)







RED-NECKED AVOCET FACTS

Description
The Red-necked Avocet is mostly white with reddish-brown head and neck. It has white eye-ring and a long black bill that curves upwards. There are two black streaks along the back. The wings are white, with black wing bars and tips. The legs are long and pale grey. Males and females look alike but the males have a more curved bill.

Size
40 - 45cm

Habitat
freshwater and saltwater wetlands, estuaries, tidal mudflats

Food
aquatic insects, crustaceans and seeds. It wades in shallow water, sweeping its bill back and forth under the surface to catch food.

Breeding
breeds in colonies. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with water plants.

Range
found throughout mainland Australia, but not common on east coast. Rare in Tasmania and far northern areas of Northern Territory and Cape York Peninsula, Queensland.

distribution map showing range of Recurvirostra novaehollandiae in Australia

Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.



Classification
Class:Aves
Order:Charadriiformes
Family:Recurvirostridae
Genus:Recurvirostra
Species:novaehollandiae
Common Name:Red-necked Avocet