American avocets

I passed a delightful hour photographing a flock of American avocets at Grand Isle, Louisiana. I was already on the beach when they arrived, gliding in from somewhere down the strand, but unfortunately my flight shots turned out unacceptably blurry. No matter. Shorebirds are naturally wary creatures, but with a respectful, indirect approach, I was able to get fairly close to the flock as they settled in for a rest.

Avocets are all field mark: striking black-and-white plumage; grey-in-winter/cinnamon-in-summer heads and necks; long, elegant, light blue legs; and of course those amazing long, upturned bills.

Avocets employ several feeding strategies, but the most common is to sweep the bill left and right through shallow water to capture insects and small crustaceans.

The bill is also employed in preening, an act of self-care that the birds seem to enjoy immensely.

A final use for the avocet bill—for birdwatchers, if not for the birds themselves—is telling the sexes apart. Females have more sharply upturned bills, whilst males show a more gradual curve, though the difference can be subtle and it may not be possible to sex every individual.

I make the two birds on the left as males, and the one at right as a female. Spot the difference?

How about this one? Ignore the napping birds. Male on the left, female on the right, yeah?

Not really a crucial life skill. Moving on...

Let's have a look at those legs. Did I mention they're blue? And, as you've no doubt noticed already, well-cantilevered to prop up a resting avocet.

Their long legs give avocets access to deeper water than most shorebirds, and that goes nicely with another adaptation: partially-webbed feet that allow the birds to swim like phalaropes (though they do so far less frequently).

I didn't see any swimming, but there was a fair bit of walking around; the flock as a whole was clearly at rest, but individual birds and small groups milled about among their stationary (often napping) companions, evidently intent on socialising.

And make no mistake, these are intensely social birds. The camera can isolate an individual avocet, but the concept of a lone avocet is barely comprehensible. Even the sleeping birds prefer to be with others of their kind. And who could blame them? They're staggeringly beautiful. Enjoy.