The Avocet. 
i73 
The Avocet. 
The Black-winged Stilt. 
The ‘ Scooping ’ Avocet, as this species is sometimes called, 
THE AVOCET 
on account of its upcurved bill, is now only an occasional visitor 
(. Rccurvirostra 
,, , to British shores, but in former days it used to breed in our 
avocetta.) J 
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 by 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 inch-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.) 
