Avocets (Recurvirostridae) are a small family from the large and diverse group of coastal birds (order Charadriiformes). These are elegant, black-and-white water birds with slender bills and long, slender legs. They live in shallow bodies of water with sparsely vegetated banks, but they tolerate freshwater, seawater and brackish water. A suitable habitat for them includes shallow nearshore seas with muddy or sandy bottoms, river estuaries and lagoons by the sea, as well as salt pans and shallow inland lakes.
In Europe, two species from this family occur, which can also be seen here with us. The avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) has recently nested in the Sečovlje Salt Pans, the black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is 'at home' in Slovenia's Sečovlje Salt Pans, the Škocjan Bay and the Ormož Lagoons in Styria.
