Recurvirostra novaehollandiae
Silhouette: Alexandre Vong · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The red-necked avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae) also known as the Australian avocet, cobbler, cobbler's awl, and painted lady, is a wader of the family Recurvirostridae that is endemic to Australia and is fairly common and widespread throughout, except for the north and north east coastal areas of the country. Closely related to the stilts, it shares their fragile slender elegance, however the deep red head and neck distinguish them. It appeared on a 13 cent postage stamp in 1966.
The French naturalist Louis Pierre Vieillot described the red-necked avocet in 1816, and it still bears its original name. It is one of four species of avocet that make up the genus Recurvirostra. A 2004 study combining genetics and morphology showed that it was the sister taxon to a lineage that gave rise to the Andean and American avocets.
The distinguishing feature of the red-necked avocet, and all avocet species, is the distinctive upcurved bill that is used for skimming the surface of water to catch small invertebrates. The adult's head and neck is a rich chestnut brown in colour (from which it derives its name) with a narrow white eye ring and a red-brown iris... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-necked Avocet sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 379 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 108th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-necked Avocet in Sydney on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of Sydney's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain against 130 mm in February.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-necked 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.
Yes
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Red-necked Avocet sightings, Sydney has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Perth (Australia, under 5%) and Brisbane (Australia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-necked Avocet is recorded against all the birds logged in Sydney (379 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.
