Tlic Avocet. 



173 



The Avocet. 



The Black-winged Stilt. 



The ' Scooping ' Avocet, as this species is sometimes called, 



THE AVOCET. , r •, j u-ii • 1 ■ 1 • u 



on account 01 its upcurved bill, is now onl}' an occasional visitor 



{Rectirviyusti'a 



,. , to British shores, but in former davs it used to breed in our 



nvocetta.) 



eastern and southern counties. It is easily told by its black and 

 white plumage, and its slender bill. It nests in suitable places throughout Central 

 and Southern Europe to Central Asia and Mongolia, as well as in many parts 

 of Africa. It is still found nesting in Holland and on the shores of the Baltic. 



The long bill of the Avocet is not used to probe the mud or sand, but is 

 employed b\' the bird in scraping the sand from side to side. Its food consists 

 of aquatic insects, as well as worms and small Crustacea, and it often swims out 

 on the water. The nest is a mere depression in the sand or short grass, with 

 a few leaves or grass for a lining. The eggs are four in number and pear- 

 shaped, of a clay-brown with a little tinge of olive, and scribbled or blotched 

 all over with black and stone-grey markings; the length is from an incli-and- 

 three-quarters to two inches. 



An unmistakable species is the Stilt on account of its long legs. 

 It bears a certain amount of resemblance to the Avocet in its 

 black and white colour, but is easily told by its straight bill. It 

 has occurred in the southern and eastern counties of England, 

 as well as in Ireland and Scotland, but is a very rare visitor to 

 Great Britain. Its home is in the Mediterranean countries to 

 Central Asia, Mongolia, and North-western India. The Stilt is not a shy bird, and 



THE 



BLACK-WINGED 



STILT. 



(Himantopus 



himantopus.) 



