Evidence was sought for the occurrence of Palearctic-bred black-crowned avocets, Recurvirostra avosetta Linnaeus, in southern Africa, primarily through time of moult of the primaries. No specimen of even probable Palearctic origin was found in South African collections. There is no reason to believe that Palearctic birds regularly come south of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. Active moult has been noted between August and March. Breeding may take place at any time in southern Africa but July to October are the principal egg-laying months. Breeding is widespread but highly opportunistic in dry areas. Many pairs breed solitarily, small colonies are not rare, but colonies in excess of 100 pairs are known only from the Etosha National Park, Namibia. Iris colour of adults does not serve to distinguish southern African-bred birds from Palearctic ones. Southern African birds are shorter winged than Palearctic birds but probably have greater mass. There is no sexual dimorphism in linear measurements, as there is in Palearctic birds