{"id":41388,"date":"2016-08-29T04:42:37","date_gmt":"2016-08-29T10:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=41388"},"modified":"2025-09-10T09:30:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T14:30:39","slug":"american-avocet-devouring-a-tiny-crayfish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/08\/29\/american-avocet-devouring-a-tiny-crayfish\/","title":{"rendered":"American Avocet Devouring a Tiny Crayfish"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AmericanAmerican Avocet eating a tiny crayfish – Nikon D810, f8, 1\/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

There were thousands and thousands of American Avocets at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> yesterday along with stilts, dowitchers and other shorebirds. The water has been drawn down in some locations which means the shorebirds have new areas where they can go to forage and feed.<\/p>\n

I was tickled to photograph this American Avocet as it fed but it wasn’t until later that I knew it was devouring a tiny crayfish. As a little girl I often played with crayfish in a creek near my home and have always liked the little crustaceans but I don’t recall ever seeing one this tiny. The avocet seemed to struggle a bit trying to get the crayfish lined up just right in its bill but when it did it swallowed it whole.<\/p>\n

People call crayfish mudbugs, crawdads and crawfish. I think this avocet just called it breakfast!<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my American Avocet photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was tickled to photograph this American Avocet as it fed but it wasn’t until later that I knew it was devouring a tiny crayfish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":155196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[451,124,27,1148,26],"tags":[4004,1634,5828,5350,2545,5392,2544,5390,4286,10528,10982,4136,5391,4031,4246,4177,274,2315],"class_list":["post-41388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-avocets","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-american-avocet","tag-avocet","tag-avocets","tag-crawdad","tag-crawfish","tag-crayfish","tag-devouring","tag-eating","tag-feed","tag-forage","tag-foraging","tag-mudbugs","tag-nonbreeding","tag-nonbreeding-plumage","tag-recurvirostra-americana","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-summer-3"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocet-crayfish-mia-mcpherson-3303.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-aLy","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":113609,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/05\/30\/springtime-adult-american-avocet\/","url_meta":{"origin":41388,"position":0},"title":"Springtime Adult American Avocet","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, I wanted to share a photo of an adult American Avocet taken in the wetlands of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Avocet walking in shallow water in spring, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/american-avocet-springtime-mia-mcpherson-2904.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/american-avocet-springtime-mia-mcpherson-2904.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/american-avocet-springtime-mia-mcpherson-2904.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/american-avocet-springtime-mia-mcpherson-2904.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40743,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/08\/01\/nonbreeding-american-avocet-foraging-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":41388,"position":1},"title":"Nonbreeding American Avocet foraging at Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The American Avocets look a bit different now than they did earlier in the year because they are now in their paler, less colorful nonbreeding plumage.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nonbreeding American Avocet foraging, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/american-avocet-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-3660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/american-avocet-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-3660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/american-avocet-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-3660.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/american-avocet-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-3660.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":113164,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/05\/03\/springtime-grebe-and-avocet-portraits\/","url_meta":{"origin":41388,"position":2},"title":"Springtime Grebe And Avocet Portraits","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 3, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning I am sharing two springtime portraits that I took last week at Bear River MBR. The first is a Western Grebe, the second, an American Avocet.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Springtime Western Grebe portrait, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/western-grebe-portrait-bear-river-mbr-mia-mcpherson-2171.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/western-grebe-portrait-bear-river-mbr-mia-mcpherson-2171.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/western-grebe-portrait-bear-river-mbr-mia-mcpherson-2171.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/western-grebe-portrait-bear-river-mbr-mia-mcpherson-2171.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4649,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/03\/18\/american-avocets-at-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":41388,"position":3},"title":"American Avocets at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"American Avocets are birds that I look forward to seeing in spring. I have already seen some from a distance this year.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Avocet foraging in a shallow pond, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocet-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocet-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocet-mia-mcpherson-5223.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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