Key Identification Features
- Avocets produce three distinct calls: a common call, an excited call, and a broken wing call.
- The red-necked avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae Vieillot, 1816), like all avocet species, has a distinctive upcurved bill, which it uses to skim the surface of water to catch small invertebrates.
- Adult red-necked avocets have a rich chestnut brown head and neck — the feature that gives the species its common name — along with a narrow white eye ring and a red-brown iris.
- This difference is not distinct, however, and males typically grow all-white head feathers in winter.
For instant identification in the field, use the iNature app — AI-powered, works offline.
