Bird Guide
Guide to North American Birds
Explore more than 800 North American bird species, learn about their lives and habitats, and how ÃÛèÖAPP change is impacting their ability to survive.
2 birds
American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
Stilts and Avocets
At a Glance
Around lake shores and tidal flats, especially in the wide-open spaces of the west, flocks of elegant American Avocets wade in the shallows. They often feed while leaning forward, with the tips of their bills in the water and slightly open, filtering tiny food items from just below the surface. Sometimes a flock will feed this way in unison, walking forward, swinging their heads rhythmically from side to side.
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Coasts and Shorelines, Freshwater Wetlands, Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers, Saltwater Wetlands
! Priority Bird
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Stilts and Avocets
At a Glance
Everything about the Black-necked Stilt seems delicate -- from its incredibly thin stilt-legs to its slim wings and its needle-like bill -- yet it manages to thrive on the sun-baked flats around shallow lakes, some of them in searing ÃÛèÖAPPs.
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Coasts and Shorelines, Freshwater Wetlands, Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers, Saltwater Wetlands