The Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) is an elegant black-and-white wader with an unmistakable upturned bill, its slender silhouette having become something of a symbol for coastal conservation success in Sweden. It measures roughly 42–46 cm with a wingspan of about 77–80 cm and weighs 225–400 g. The body is largely pure white, with black on the crown and nape and a bold black pattern across the back and wings, while the long, slim, strongly upcurved black bill is unlike that of any other Swedish bird. The long blue-grey legs trail behind the tail in flight, and unusually among waders the avocet can swim, sometimes tipping forward in deeper water like a dabbling duck.
Its call is a clear, melodious, somewhat fluting "klyy-it", often heard from birds in flight or alarming near the colony, and a whole colony can produce a loud, collective outcry when a predator approaches. Avocets breed along southern Sweden's coasts, chiefly at shallow bays and coastal meadows in Skåne, Halland, Blekinge, Öland, and the Kalmar Sound area, with the Swedish population — estimated at 500–1,000 pairs — having grown markedly over recent decades thanks to restoration of coastal meadows, grazing management, and reduced disturbance. It nests colonially on open, sparsely vegetated meadows and low islets, laying 3–4 eggs in a simple ground scrape; colonial nesting affords protection from predators, and if disturbed the whole colony can flush at once to mount a loud, coordinated defence. It feeds by sweeping its upturned bill sideways through shallow water and soft mud to sift out small crustaceans, insect larvae, and worms, foraging both wading and swimming, and depends on shallow, open shorelines that can quickly become unsuitable if they become overgrown or disturbed.
Read about this species in Swedish →