Black-winged Stilt

The Black-winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus, is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae. Adults are 33–36 cm long. They have long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are mainly white with a dark cap and a dark back.

The taxonomy of this bird is still somewhat contentious: some sources believe that there are as many as five distinct species; others consider some or all of these to be subspecies. The North American variant, the Black-necked Stilt, has a dark back as well with a white spot over the eye. It is recorded as Himantopus mexicanus in the Sibley-Munroe checklist.

The breeding habitat is marshes, shallow lakes and ponds. Black-winged Stilts are found in southern and southeastern Europe, central Asia, northern Africa, Australia, Central and South America, Hawaii, the Philippines, south central Canada and the western and southeastern United States. They may stray well outside these areas.

The nest site is a bare spot on the ground near water. These birds often nest in small groups, sometimes with avocets.

They are migratory and move to the ocean coasts in winter.

These birds pick up their food from sand or water. They mainly eat insects and crustaceans.

In Hawaii, the Hawaiian Stilt or ae`o is endangered due to habitat loss. This bird is considered by some to be a subspecies of the Black-necked Stilt and by others to be a distinct species.

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