Black-winged Stilt

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The black-winged stilt is a widely distributed, very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family Recurvirostridae. Its scientific name, Himantopus himantopus, is sometimes used to generalize a single, almost cosmopolitan species. Alternatively, it is restricted to the form that is widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa, which equals the nominate group of H. himantopus sensu lato. Meanwhile, the black-necked and white-backed stilts both inhabit the Americas; the pied stilt ranges from Australia and New Zealand. Today, most sources accept between one and four actual species.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

1. 01

   Extremely long, thin, bright pink legs

   Disproportionately long and slender, extending well past the tail in flight, an unmistakable feature.

2. 02

   Starkly contrasting black and white plumage

   Clean white body and underparts sharply divided from solid black back and upperwings.

3. 03

   Long, needle-fine, straight black bill

   Very slender and sharp, often held downwards while foraging.

4. 04

   Predominantly white head with variable black nape

   Head and neck are typically white, with males often showing variable black on the crown and nape.