- Recurvirostra americana
Identification
Length 16-20" (41-51 cm)
- Large, long-legged
- Slender, upturned bill
- Upperparts and wings patterned in black and white
- Underparts white
- Head and neck rust-colored in summer, white in winter
Distribution
Breeds from interior Washington, Saskatchewan, and Minnesota south to Central Mexico. Winters on West Coast of USA north to California, on Gulf Coast, in Florida and to southern Mexico. Rare but regular visitor on Atlantic Coast in fall. Irregular winter visitor to northern Central America.
Taxonomy
Habitat
Freshwater marshes and shallow marshy lakes; breeds locally in salt or brackish marshes. Many move to the coasts in winter.
Behavior
Nesting
4 olive-buff eggs, spotted with brown and black, in a shallow depression sparsely lined with grass on a beach or mudflat. Often nests in loose colonies.
Voice
A loud repeated wheep
