Avocet chick

American Avocet chick aprox. 5 days old. Female American avocets may lay one to four eggs in the nest of another female, who then incubates the eggs. American Avocets may parasitize other species' nests too; single American Avocet eggs have been found in the nests of Mew Gulls. Other species may also parasitize avocet nests. Avocets have incubated mixed clutches of their own eggs and those of Common Terns or Black-necked Stilts. The avocets reared the stilt hatchlings as if they were their own. American Avocet chicks leave the nest within 24 hours after hatching. Day-old avockeys can walk, swim, and even dive to escape predators. In response to predators, the American Avocet sometimes issues a series of call notes that gradually change pitch, simulating the Doppler effect and thus making its approach seem faster than it actually is. Nesting American Avocets aggressively attack predators. This Avocet chick was out for a walk in Gilbert, Arizona. Photo by Ruth Jolly.