any of several long-legged shore birds of the genus Recurvirostra, such as the European R. avosetta, having black-and-white plumage and a long upward-curving bill: family Recurvirostridae, order Charadriiformes
Word origin
C18: from French avocette, from Italian avocetta, of uncertain origin
avocet in American English
(ˈævəˌsɛt)
noun
any of a genus (Recurvirostra, family Recurvirostridae) of long-legged shorebirds with webbed feet and a slender bill that curves upward