Andean Avocet vs Banded Stilt

Andean Avocet

Recurvirostra andina

Large361 gWetland

This avocet has a white head, neck, underparts and rump, and dark brown back, wings and tail. It is similar in size but slightly bulkier than the American avocet, at 43–48 cm (17–19 in) in length and 315–410 g (11.1–14.5 oz) in weight. Average body mass is 361 g (12.7 oz), making it likely the heaviest of the Recurvirostridae family. The thin, grey legs are not as long as with other avocet species, but the long thin black bill is upturned at the end. The sexes are similar, and the juvenile plumage is undescribed.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0

Banded Stilt

Cladorhynchus leucocephalus

Medium216 gWetland

The banded stilt is 45–53 cm (18–21 in) long and weighs 220–260 g (7.8–9.2 oz), with a wingspan of 55–68 cm (22–27 in). Adults in breeding plumage are predominantly white with black wings and a broad well-demarcated u-shaped chestnut band across the breast. The central part of the base of the upper tail is tinted a pale grey-brown. The slender bill is black, relatively straight, and twice as long as the head. The irises are dark brown and the legs and feet are a dark red-pink. The wings are long and slim and have eleven primary flight feathers, with the tenth being the longest.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Cas Liber · Public domain

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Andean Avocet and Banded Stilt.