Recurvirostra americana
Silhouette: Alexandre Vong · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The American avocet (Recurvirostra americana) is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae, found in North America. It spends much of its time foraging in shallow water or on mud flats, often sweeping its bill from side to side in water as it seeks crustacean and insect prey.
The American avocet was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the pied avocet in the genus Recurvirostra and coined the binomial name Recurvirostra americana. Gmelin based his description on that by the English ornithologist John Latham who in 1785 had described and illustrated the American avocet in his A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham cited the earlier publication by William Dampier and also that by Thomas Pennant. The genus name combines the Latin recurvus meaning 'bent' or 'curved backwards' with rostrum meaning 'bill'. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The American avocet is a member of the order Charadriiformes, which includes shorebirds, gulls, and alcids. Its family, Recurvirostridae, includes stilts and avocets. The... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 11 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 17 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Minnesota Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Milwaukee County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Tracy Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Aquarium of the Pacific | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Monterey Bay Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Avocet sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 8,616 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 101st most-seen of the 426 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Avocet in Los Angeles on a given day, against under 5% in October, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Avocet sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 23
Of the 23 cities where we can rate American Avocet sightings, Los Angeles ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in León (México, about 30%), Mesa (United States, about 30%) and San Francisco (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Avocet is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Angeles (8,616 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
