mdahlem.net WWW

Aust birds    Bird names   News   1-26    Habitats    Key plants    Glossary    Plumage    Nests    Tips    Thumbnails    Gen. info    Sponsors    Photos for sale
NON-PASSERINES     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10     11     12     13     14	15     16     17     18     19     20     21     22     23     24     25     26     PASSERINES
Common names sorted alphabetically: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   W   Y

9

Red-necked Avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae) Alternate name(s): "Australian Avocet", "Cobbler", "Trumpeter", "Painted Lady" Aboriginal name(s): "ngakan-ngakan" [tjapwurrung]; "yadjinkorong" (WA) Size: 40-48 cm Weight: 270-390 g

Australia: Family Group 9 Family Group 9 Table Comb-crested Jacana Bush Stone-curlew Beach Stone-curlew Banded Stilt Black-winged Stilt Red-necked Avocet Australian Pratincole Oriental Pratincole South Island Oystercatcher Australian Pied Oystercatcher Sooty Oystercatcher Pacific Golden Plover Grey Plover Little Ringed Plover Kentish Plover Red-capped Plover Double-banded Plover Semipalmated Plover Lesser Sand Plover Greater Sand Plover Oriental Plover Inland Dotterel Black-fronted Dotterel Red-kneed Dotterel Hooded Plover Masked Lapwing Banded Lapwing Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Red-necked Avocets are medium-sized, long-legged, mostly black-and-white waders. Except for a white eye-ring, the head and neck are chestnut, while the rest of the plumage is predominantly white. Only the wing tips, thin longitudinal stripes along the base of the wings and stripes from the alula to the base at the back of the wing are black. The only subtle difference between the sexes is that male Red-necked Avocets have a longer, and less prominently upcurved, bill than females. The irises of both sexes are dark, the slender bill is dull black and the long legs and feet are blueish-grey. In flight the long legs can be seen trailing far beyond the end of the tail. As their scientific name of "Recurvirostra" suggests, Red-necked Avocets have a prominently upcurved bill. Juvenile Red-necked Avocets have a faint greyish-brown head and upper neck. Twitcher's tip Red-necked Avocets have a prominent brown head and neck that neither Black-winged Stilts nor Banded Stilts have.

Taxonomy, classification See Red-necked Avocet at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Red-necked Avocet is available HERE . Red-necked Avocets are endemic to Australia. Their distribution depends a lot on weather conditions. They are usually found primarily in South-East Australia, i.e. the western half of NSW and VIC, especially in the Murray-Darling Basin, and in the eastern half of SA. They are also found in South-West WA. However, after substantial inland rainfall, they can disperse to almost anywhere on the Australian mainland, with the exception of the most arid parts, i.e. the great sandy deserts from about the Nullarbor to the Pilbara region. They also avoid Arnhemland in the NT and the tip of Cape York peninsula, QLD. During the 10-year drought of the first decade of the 21st century most of the NSW population of Red-necked Avocets was concentrated in the Hunter estuary. Red-necked Avocets can be found in the shallows of various types of aquatic habitats, from tidal flats and marshes to permanent and ephemeral lakes (both freshwater and brackish/saline).

Sightings Click here for sighting information After being very rare in inland NSW during the 10-year drought from 2000 to 2010, Red-necked Avocets were first spotted by us at Goran Lake, an ephemeral lake about 30 km South of Gunnedah, NSW, in June 2011. In total several hundred birds were found, together with a remnant population of Pied Stilts seen by us there in May 2011. During that earlier check no Red-necked Avocets had been present. Varying numbers of Red-necked Avocets were observed by us at Goran Lake until it dried up again in November 2013. In general, Red-necked Avocets are found by us, and also by C. Hayne, semi-regularly in various types of wetlands in inland NSW, such as e.g. ephemeral lakes, sewage ponds, irrigation dams and smaller farm dams, but also in riverine wetlands. While large numbers of Red-necked Avocets were found by in ephemeral lakes, such as Goran Lake when it was full, and Lake Altiboulka, about 85 km East of Tibooburra, NSW, and tens at the Wee Waa, NSW, sewage works, usually only small numbers, of up to about 10-20 birds, are spotted in the North-west Slopes and Plains (Gunnedah, Narrabri Lake, Moree, Ashley, Wee Waa, Burren Junction) and along the Barwon/Gwydir/Mehi River courses. Red-necked Avocets were also seen by us in the Hunter River estuary near Newcastle, NSW, at Hunter Wetlands NP, in July 2013. A. Ross-Taylor reports spotting about 70 Red-necked Avocets on a sand bank on the Tweed River, Tweed Heads, NSW, in December 2014. J. Greaves reports spotting Red-necked Avocets at Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, in January 2015. R. Plumtree reports spotting a flock of Red-necked Avocets at Jones Swamp, Bairnsdale, VIC, in March 2017. J. Greaves reports finding Red-necked Avocets at Lake Clarendon, QLD, in July 2018. M. Mearns found a flock of Red-necked Avocets at Mount Frankland NP, WA, in October 2018. C. Pears found a mixed flock of Red-necked Avocets and Banded Stilts on Rottnest Island, WA, in April 2018. Red-necked Avocets were also found at Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, in February 2023. M. Eaton reports spotting Red-necked Avocets at Lake Gilles, SA, in October 2022.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Lateral view of a male(?) Red-necked Avocet; note the rather long, only slightly upcurved bill
[Goran Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Close-up lateral view of a male(?) Red-necked Avocet sifting through water
[Goran Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Direct comparison of a male Red-necked Avocet, front, and a Black-winged Stilt
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, November 2017]

Three Red-necked Avocets seen close together; probably the bird in front is a male, the two behind are probably females
[Goran Lake, NSW, October 2011]

Near-dorsal view of a male Red-necked Avocet
[Goran Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Close-up lateral view of three Red-necked Avocets in flight, with a male in the middle and two females above and below
[Wee Waa, NSW, September 2012]

Comparison of the bills of Red-necked Avocets: male above, female below - note that the male's bill is shorter and less curved
(photos courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Clarendon, QLD, July 2018]

FEMALE

Near-frontal view of a female(?) Red-necked Avocet; note the prominently upcurved bill
[Goran Lake, NSW, February 2012]

Near-lateral view of a female(?) Red-necked Avocet
[Goran Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Close-up lateral view of a female Red-necked Avocet
[Goran Lake, NSW, February 2012]

Lateral view of a female Red-necked Avocet, left, with an immature bird, probably also a female, on the right
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Clarendon, QLD, July 2018]

Close-up near-lateral view of a female Red-necked Avocets in flight
[Wee Waa, NSW, September 2012]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Red-necked Avocet (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Clarendon, QLD, July 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Red-necked Avocet (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Clarendon, QLD, July 2018]

Group of Red-necked Avocets that has just woken up from resting in shallow water
[Goran Lake, NSW, October 2011]

Red-necked Avocets resting on a sand bank in a dam
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, December 2013]

Near-dorsal view of two Red-necked Avocets (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Clarendon, QLD, July 2018]

Dorsal view of a Red-necked Avocet (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Clarendon, QLD, July 2018]

Frontal view of Red-necked Avocets in flight
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, , NSW, May 2017]

Small group of Red-necked Avocets in flight just above the water's surface
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2011]

Small flock of Red-necked Avocets at take-off... (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2012]

... and landing again after turning a full circle (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2012]

Mixed flock of Red-necked Avocets and Banded Stilts (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Rottnest Island, WA, April 2018]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a uvenile Red-necked Avocet (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Gilles, SA, October 2022]

Lateral view of a juvenile Red-necked Avocet
[Goran Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Direct comparison between an adult, right, and a juvenile Red-necked Avocet
[Goran Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Lateral view of a juvenile Red-necked Avocet, together with an adult foraging with its head under water
[Goran Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Flock

Red-necked Avocets are sociable birds; they do almost everything in large numbers.

Red-necked Avocets feeding as a pack
[Wee Waa, NSW, September 2012]

Flock of Red-necked Avocets hustling a Whistling Kite
[Goran Lake, NSW, February 2012]

Red-necked Avocets resting on a sandbank
[Goran Lake, NSW, March 2012]

Flock of Red-necked Avocets (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Mount Frankland NP, WA, October 2018]

This photo demonstrates how close to each other Red-necked Avocets can fly; the two birds in front are in fact crossing paths
[Goran Lake, NSW, February 2012]

Red-necked Avocets do not like to be approached when close to shore and will retreat into deeper water
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2011]

Food, Diet

Red-necked Avocets feed on small animals they sweep up from just under the mud surface of shallow waters.

This photo illustrates Red-necked Avocets' hunting technique; they sweep their bills sideways vigorously, dredging through the mud in pursuit of small animals just under the surface
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2011]

Red-necked Avocets foraging in shallow water; note the typical 'tail up' stance
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, September 2019]

Here one can see how Red-necked Avocets sift water for prey; the upper mandible is stable while the lower mandible is moved up and down
[Goran Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Red-necked Avocets can feed at various depths, even with the head under water
[Goran Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Red-necked Avocets foraging together (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Clarendon, QLD, July 2018]

Three Red-necked Avocets feeding as ducks usually do
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2012]

Red-necked Avocets feeding in shallow water, with their heads under water (photo courtesy of C. Hayne) down
[Near Moree, NSW, October 2012]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

rnavoct_20170508_2.mp3	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (2 birds)	© MD
rnavoct_20141206_4.mp3	(NW NSW)	Contact calls	© MD
rnavoct_20151222_3.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (flock)	© MD
rnavoct_20151222.m4a	(NW NSW)	Warning calls (flock)	© MD
rnavoct_20151219.mp3	(NW NSW)	Alarm calls	© MD
rnavoct_20151222_4.m4a	(NW NSW)	Upset (flock with Pink-e. Duck)	© MD
blwstlt_20151222_2.m4a	leucocephalus (NW NSW)	Upset (flock with Black-winged Stilt)	© MD
blwstlt_20151222.m4a	leucocephalus (NW NSW)	Upset (flock with Black-winged Stilt)	© MD

More Red-necked Avocet sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Thu, 16 February 2023, 7:02 +00:00