The four species of avocets /ˈævəsɛt/ are a genus, Recurvirostra, of waders in the same avian family as the stilts.

They lay three or four eggs of a dark greenish or brownish buff color, boldly marked with brown and black.

[6] One fossil species, R. sanctaneboulae Mourer-Chauviré, 1978, dates from the late Eocene of France.

In a large colony, they are aggressively defensive and chase off any other species of birds that try to nest among or near them.

Avocets use Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve as a summer breeding ground.