Left: The American avocet’s bill is twice the length of its head. Right: the American avocet in flight. Length: 16.9–18.5 inches. Weight: 9.7–12.3 ounces. Wingspan: 28.4 inches.

American Avocet

The American avocet is a colorful and unique appearing shorebird. It is black and white on the body with a rusty head and neck. The legs are long and a pale gray blue. The tip of the bill is curved upwards and the entire bill exceeds twice the length of the head. The birds show up in Denver as early as March and are gone by the end of November as the rusty brown fades to white.

In flight, the contrast between the black and the white is even more striking. They feed on aquatic invertebrates in shallow wetlands. Day-old avocets are considered precocial, which means they can immediately walk, swim, and even dive to escape predators.

Left: the Black-necked stilt’s legs are extremely long. Only the flamingo has longer legs in proportion to its body. Right: The Black-necked stilt in flight. Length: 13.8–15.3 inches. Weight: 5.3–6.2 ounces. Wingspan: 28.1–29.7 inches.

Black-Necked Stilt

The black-necked stilt is smaller than the American avocet but its legs are extremely long. Only the flamingo has longer legs in proportion to the body size. This tall but delicate-looking shorebird has a long neck, small head, and thin, straight bill. It is black above and white below. There is white around the eye and the legs are rose-pink. It cannot be mistaken for any other shorebird.

The black-necked stilt and American avocet share the same habitats and they belong to the same family (Recurvirostridae). Therefore, they are capable of hybridizing, but hybrid offsprings are very rare and have been nicknamed “avo-stilt.”

Bird Walks: Sep. 7 & Oct. 5. Two options: 7:30–10am or 8–10am (choose a 2-hour or a 2.5-hour walk.) Both walks are free, but you must RSVP at blufflake.org/birdwatching. All are welcome. Bring your own binoculars, or borrow a pair. Bluff Lake Nature Center, 11255 MLK Blvd. Search FrontPorchNE.com for “Bird Sightings” to see past bird stories and photos from George Ho.