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Birds within the family Recurvirstridae are known as avocets and stilts. They possess long necks and bills, and very long and thin legs. The bills of avocets are curved upwards and are swept from side to side when the bird is feeding in the brackish or saline wetlands they prefer. The bills of stilts are straight. The front toes are webbed partially in most stilts, and fully webbed in avocets. The plumage of species occurring in Peru is a contrasting black and white. Sexes are similar. Stilts and avocets breed on open ground near water, often in loose colonies. They defend nesting territories vigorously with an aggressive display that includes mobbing and dive-bombing potential predators, accompanied with a great deal of noise. Their eggs are light-colored with dark markings. The chicks have a downy plumage and are precocial, leaving the nest within a day of hatching. There are two genera and two species known to occur in Peru. Photo: Andean Avocet. ©Birding Chile.
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| Family RECURVIROSTRIDAE | ||
| Stilts, Avocets | Cigüeñuelas, Avocetas | |
| Black-necked Stilt | Cigüeñuela de Cuello Negro | Himantopus mexicanus |
| Andean Avocet | Avoceta Andina | Recurvirostra andina |
 HAEMATOPODIDAE: Oystercatchers – Ostreros |
BURHINIDAE: Thick-Knees – Huerequeques |