American avocets are easily identified shorebirds that have upturned bills, white undersides, and white scapulars on black wings. Their necks and heads are gray in the winter, but become rusty during breeding. Juveniles have an intermediate coloration.
American avocets feed by sweeping their bills side to side through mud or water. They are fairly common in shallow marshes or ponds in the western U.S., southern Florida and Mexico.
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