Bird lore - Project Puffin

THE AVOCET
By T. GILBERT PEARSON
^tt Rational Hsisiociation of ^utrubon Societies;
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 88
AN AVOCET ON ITS NEST
Photographed by H. T. Bohlman and W. L. Finley
Among the American shore-birds the one that stands out as the most
showy of them all is the Avocet. It is indeed of most striking appearance.
Its white body and black, white-striped wings render it conspicuous at a great
distance, and its large size has made it a coveted target for the gunners ever
since the time when white hunters in America first began to go afield.
From the point of its bill to the end of its tail the Avocet measures i6 to
i8 inches, and when the wings are spread the distance from tip to tip is fully
20 inches. The long, upward-curving bill is a form extremely unusual among
birds; and the partly webbed feet enable it to swim with ease when, in search-
ing for its food, it advances into water where the bottom is beyond the reach
of its long legs. The color of its feet and legs explains the name 'Blue Shanks'
by which it is known to many sportsmen.
While searching for wild Ducks' nests in the marshes of the Klamath River,
in southern Oregon, in company with William L. Finley and R. Bruce Hors-
fall, we came upon several groups of these magnificent birds. In every case
they were probably nesting in the neighborhood, for by their actions they
plainly expressed their displeasure at our approach. At first two or three
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