American Avocet
American Avocet has surged: up 325% on the route-weighted index since 1969.
About the American Avocet
The American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) is a North American member of the Avocets & Stilts (Recurvirostridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the shorebirds.
- Size
- 14–18 in long (35–46 cm) — a long-legged shorebird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Shorelines, mudflats, beaches, flooded fields and wet meadows.
- Diet
- Invertebrates probed or picked from mud, sand and shallow water.
- Range
- Recorded on 420 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 19 states, most concentrated in the Great Basin.
- Family
- Recurvirostridae · Shorebirds
Notable American Avocet Trends
No notable trend signals for American Avocet. See the full index history below.
American Avocet Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, American Avocet is projected to rise about 104% by 2029 — from 0.15 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.31 (95% range 0.00–0.66). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±123.6%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.31 | 0.00 | 0.66 |
| 2026 | 0.31 | 0.00 | 0.66 |
| 2027 | 0.31 | 0.00 | 0.66 |
| 2028 | 0.31 | 0.00 | 0.66 |
| 2029 | 0.31 | 0.00 | 0.66 |
Where the American Avocet Is Detected
BBS routes recording American Avocet, sized by most recent count.
American Avocet Population Trend by State
| Arizona | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| California | -20% | 1972 | 49 |
| Colorado | +5% | 1972 | 37 |
| Idaho | -45% | 1978 | 15 |
| Kansas | -16% | 1969 | 9 |
| Louisiana | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Minnesota | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Montana | +217% | 1971 | 38 |
| Nebraska | -71% | 1980 | 11 |
| Nevada | -66% | 1972 | 13 |
| New Mexico | -60% | 1977 | 18 |
| North Dakota | +317% | 1969 | 33 |
| Oklahoma | +168% | 1983 | 7 |
| Oregon | +6% | 1972 | 22 |
| South Dakota | +128% | 1969 | 30 |
| Texas | +310% | 1973 | 40 |
| Utah | +248% | 1972 | 26 |
| Washington | -62% | 1978 | 9 |
| Wyoming | +117% | 1972 | 57 |
American Avocet Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Great Basin | +169% | 1971 | 82 |
| Northern Rockies | +18% | 1980 | 55 |
| Prairie Potholes | +147% | 1969 | 61 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +4% | 1974 | 20 |
| Badlands and Prairies | 12× | 1973 | 48 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | +352% | 1971 | 74 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | -55% | 1969 | 18 |
| Coastal California | -80% | 1972 | 31 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | -74% | 1974 | 7 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | +79% | 2001 | 5 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | -83% | 2006 | 9 |
American Avocet Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 325% since 1969. Many shorebirds have declined steeply, reflecting pressure on the coastal and wetland stopovers they depend on.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.