# Pied avocet (*Recurvirostra avosetta*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/pied-avocet  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), also called the avocet or Eurasian avocet, is a bird in the family Recurvirostridae and the order Charadriiformes. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 304 g, ranging from 300.5 to 309.5 g across sources, and a wingspan of 78 cm. The pied avocet is a carnivorous aquatic predator of wetland habitats that forages terrestrially and is partially migratory. It lays one clutch per year of 3.7 eggs, incubated for 23.7 days, reaches sexual maturity at 2 years and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 300.5 g – 309.5 g |
| Length | 40 cm |
| Wingspan | 78 cm |
| Lifespan | 27.8 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 27.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 23.7 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.5 – 3.7 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Charadriiformes
- family: Recurvirostridae
- genus: Recurvirostra
- species: *Recurvirostra avosetta* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Avocetta europaea*, *Avosetta atricapilla*, *Recurvirostra avocetta*, *Recurvirostra fissipes*, *Recurvirostra helebi*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the pied avocet?

The pied avocet is a bird in the family Recurvirostridae, within the order Charadriiformes.

### How heavy is the pied avocet?

An adult pied avocet weighs 304 g, with sources reporting from 300.5 to 309.5 g. Its wingspan is 78 cm.

### What does the pied avocet eat?

The pied avocet is a carnivore classed as an aquatic predator.

### Is the pied avocet endangered?

No. The pied avocet is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the pied avocet live?

The pied avocet has a lifespan of up to 27.83 years according to our sources.

### How many eggs does the pied avocet lay?

The pied avocet lays 3.7 eggs per clutch and one clutch per year, with an incubation period of 23.7 days.

### Does the pied avocet migrate?

Yes, the pied avocet is partially migratory.

### Who named the pied avocet?

The pied avocet was named Recurvirostra avosetta by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pied-avocet