American Avocets in Flight
by Ram Vasudev
Title
American Avocets in Flight
Artist
Ram Vasudev
Medium
Photograph
Description
American Avocet couple (Recurvirostra Americana) in flight over a wetland, Huntington Beach, California. The blue background is out-of-focus water.
The American Avocet is a large wader, has long thin gray legs. The plumage is black and white on the back with white on the underbelly. The neck and head are cinnamon colored in the summer and gray in the winter. The long, thin bill is upturned at the end. The adult bird measures 16�20 inches in length, 27�30 inches in height and weighs 275�420 g. The breeding habitat is marshes, beaches, prairie ponds, and shallow waters, as in this photo. American avocets form breeding colonies numbering dozens of pairs. When breeding is over the birds gather in large flocks, sometimes including hundreds of birds. Nesting occurs near water, usually on small islands or boggy shorelines where access by predators is difficult. The female lays four eggs in a saucer-shaped nest, and both sexes take turns incubating them. Upon hatching, the chicks feed themselves; they are never fed by their parents. The American Avocet forages in shallow water or on mud flats, often sweeping its bill from side to side in water as it seeks its crustacean and insects.
Image copyrighted
� Ram Vasudev
All rights reserved
Uploaded
November 14th, 2015
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