Scientific name:

Recurvirostra avosetta

About:

A scarce wader, about the same size as oystercatcher but much more slender. Mainly white, with black patches on the back and wings and a black cap stretching down the back of the neck. Long bluey legs, but most easily recognised by the long, black, upturn beak.

How to identify:

<p>Unmistakeable.</p>

Where:

Breeds in shallow coastal lagoons around the east coast of England and winters on sheltered estuaries on the south coast.

Fantastic facts:

Avocets are a great conservation success story