Pied avocet walking by, Jaipur

The pied avocet is a large black and white wader in the avocet and stilt family. This species gets its English and scientific names from the Venetian name avosetta. While the name may refer to black and white outfits once worn by European advocates or lawyers. It is also called as black-capped avocet, Eurasian avocet. They breed in temperate Europe and western and Central Asia. It is a migratory species and most winter in Africa or southern Asia. Some remain to winter in the mildest parts of their range, for example in southern Spain and southern England.

These birds forage in shallow brackish water or on mud flats, often scything their bills from side to side in water (a feeding technique that is unique to the avocets). The Pied Avocet feeds mainly on aquatic invertebrates such as insects and larvae, molluscs, crustaceans, worms, and also fish and plant materials. It feeds by picking, or by strong sideway sweeps of the bill. It also performs up-ending. It forages in watery mud and often swims too. . This species keeps the same plumage all year round, without any seasonal variation. It is classified as least concern by IUCN.