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The Pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) is a bird found in Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and 3 more countries. Shallow lakes and coastal flats across Europe, Africa and Asia. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, fish and leaves and other plant parts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the Pied avocet lives

Shallow lakes and coastal flats across Europe, Africa and Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐛 Insects & bugs80%
• 🐟 Fish10%
• 🌿 Leaves & plants10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the Pied avocet

Recorded by Paul Driver (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1023505. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Pied avocet

Where does the Pied avocet live?

The Pied avocet lives in Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and 3 more countries. Shallow lakes and coastal flats across Europe, Africa and Asia.

What does the Pied avocet eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 80%), fish (about 10%), leaves and other plant parts (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Pied avocet endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Europe

• White Stork
• Barn Swallow
• Great Tit
• Eurasian Magpie
• Peregrine Falcon
• Grey Heron

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.