Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) and American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana) are the two shorebirds of the family Recurvirostridae you’re most likely to encounter in Arizona’s wetlands and mudflats. Both species favor shallow, open water—ephemeral pools, irrigation ponds, playa lakes and river margins—where they forage in small to large flocks by sight rather than sound. Stilts are unmistakable with their jet-black upperparts contrasted against white underparts and their incredibly long, bright pink legs; they typically breed in summer at marshes such as those at Cienega Creek and along the lower Colorado River, dispersing southward in winter. Avocets are slightly larger, with a slender upturned bill and striking orange-buff head and neck in breeding plumage; in Arizona they turn up most regularly during spring and fall migration at places like Tres Rios and Yuma’s off-river wetlands, with a smaller number overwintering on open mudflats. Both species probe or sweep their bills through soft mud for aquatic invertebrates.
