Size: Length; 40 cm.

Habitat and Distribution: Shallow lakes and brackish waters in Europe, western and central Asia. They winter in Africa and southern Asia.

Age: 7 years in the wild but can live up to 24 in captivity.

Groups and Breeding: Outside the breeding season the birds are usually in flocks of 6-30 individuals, but feeding flocks can reach several hundred. Flocks break up for the duration of the breeding season. And pair bonds are for one season only.

Females will nest on sandy or muddy strands (in a loose colony with up to 150 other pairs) and will create a hollow using her legs. If the water’s edge is too near she will build the nest up until it becomes quite a large structure. She will lay around 4 eggs and will incubate them for 23-25 days. Young can run about and feed themselves within hours of hatching but although they fledge around 35-40 days later, they often remain with their parents for quite some time after.

Diet: Crustaceans and insects.

• This species became extinct in the UK in the mid 19th Century; its success for re-release and recolonisation is the reason it was adopted as the logo for the RSPB.
• In cold and wet weather, Avocet chicks will snuggle under their parents to keep warm and dry.
• During the Victorian era Avocet eggs were used for pancakes and puddings!
• Avocets have two feeding methods. In clear water, Avocets feed by sight by picking prey from the surface of water or mud. In poor visibility and when locating prey from within the sediments, they forage by touch, sweeping their long, up-curved bill from side to side through water or loose sediment to locate hidden prey.