AVOCET (av'o-set), a long legged wading bird, conspicu ously marked with black and white, the avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) is remarkable for its long, slender bill, bent upwards at the distal end. The legs are long and the feet webbed. The bird in habits Europe, Africa and Central and South Asia, and formerly bred in England--its last breeding place being at Salthouse, in Nor folk, where the people made puddings of its eggs. These latter resemble those of the lapwing, as does the mode of nesting. The plumage of both sexes is black and white, and no courtship antics are performed. It obtains its food by working its bill from side to side in shallow pools, thus capturing small crustaceans and insect larvae. Two species, R. americana and R. andina, are found in America, R. americana reaching Saskatchewan, R. andina confined to the mountain lakes of Chile. A fourth species is found in Australia.