Black-winged Stilt
Facts
Also known as: Common Stilt
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Location: Europe, Asia, Africa
Lifespan: Up to 12 years
Also known as: Common Stilt
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Location: Europe, Asia, Africa
Lifespan: Up to 12 years
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Subclass: Neornithes
Infraclass: Neognathae
Superorder: Neoaves
Order: Charadriiformes
Suborder: Charadrii
Family: Recurvirostridae
Genus: Himantopus
Species: H. himantopus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Subclass: Neornithes
Infraclass: Neognathae
Superorder: Neoaves
Order: Charadriiformes
Suborder: Charadrii
Family: Recurvirostridae
Genus: Himantopus
Species: H. himantopus
Description
Length: 33 to 36 cm
Other: The Black-winged Stilt has long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. Males have a black back, often with greenish gloss. Females' backs have a brown hue, contrasting with the black remiges. In the populations that have the top of the head normally white at least in winter, females tend to have less black on head and neck all year round, while males often have much black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually get all-white heads in winter.Immature birds are grey instead of black and have a markedly sandy hue on the wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight.
Length: 33 to 36 cm
Other: The Black-winged Stilt has long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. Males have a black back, often with greenish gloss. Females' backs have a brown hue, contrasting with the black remiges. In the populations that have the top of the head normally white at least in winter, females tend to have less black on head and neck all year round, while males often have much black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually get all-white heads in winter.Immature birds are grey instead of black and have a markedly sandy hue on the wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight.
Subspecies
- H. h. himantopus lives in Eurasia, India and Africa.
- H. h. knudseni lives only in Hawaï. It is very rare and endangered due to habitat loss.
- H. h. melanurus lives in South America.
- H. h. leucocephalus lives in Java and New Guinea, S Australia and New Zealand.
Behaviour
The Black-winged Stlits migrate to local movements to long distance migration elsewhere. Northern populations of race himantopus and mexicanus migrate in July-November to Africa and Central and South America respectively, returning in March-May, usually over period of less than 1 month at any one site. Local movements recorded throughout most of tropics, but patterns poorly understood. In New Zealand, South and inland breeders of leucocephalus migrate to North New Zealand in January-March, returning in August-September, whereas lowland and Northern breeders mainly sedentary. Spring passage typically involves flocks of up to 15 birds. The Black-winged Stilt’s calls are a sharp “kek” and a barking “ke-yak”. Alarm call is a monotonous, high-pitched “kik-kik-kik-kik-kik-kik”. They are noisy on their breeding areas.
The Black-winged Stlits migrate to local movements to long distance migration elsewhere. Northern populations of race himantopus and mexicanus migrate in July-November to Africa and Central and South America respectively, returning in March-May, usually over period of less than 1 month at any one site. Local movements recorded throughout most of tropics, but patterns poorly understood. In New Zealand, South and inland breeders of leucocephalus migrate to North New Zealand in January-March, returning in August-September, whereas lowland and Northern breeders mainly sedentary. Spring passage typically involves flocks of up to 15 birds. The Black-winged Stilt’s calls are a sharp “kek” and a barking “ke-yak”. Alarm call is a monotonous, high-pitched “kik-kik-kik-kik-kik-kik”. They are noisy on their breeding areas.
Predators or Prey?
The Black-winged Stilts do not have any known predators. They prey upon aquatic insects and aquatic animals.
The Black-winged Stilts do not have any known predators. They prey upon aquatic insects and aquatic animals.
Diet
Black-winged Stilts feed mainly on aquatic insects, but will also take molluscs and crustaceans. They rarely swim for food (unlike the Banded Stilt), preferring instead to wade in shallow water, and seize prey on or near the surface. Occasionally, birds plunge their heads below the surface to catch sub-aquatic prey.
Black-winged Stilts feed mainly on aquatic insects, but will also take molluscs and crustaceans. They rarely swim for food (unlike the Banded Stilt), preferring instead to wade in shallow water, and seize prey on or near the surface. Occasionally, birds plunge their heads below the surface to catch sub-aquatic prey.
Habitat
The breeding habitat of all these stilts is marshes, shallow lakes and ponds. Some populations are migratory and move to the ocean coasts in winter; those in warmer regions are generally resident or short-range vagrants. In Europe, the Black-winged Stilt is a regular spring overshoot vagrants north of its normal range, occasionally remaining to breed in northern European countries, for example in Britain in 1987.
The breeding habitat of all these stilts is marshes, shallow lakes and ponds. Some populations are migratory and move to the ocean coasts in winter; those in warmer regions are generally resident or short-range vagrants. In Europe, the Black-winged Stilt is a regular spring overshoot vagrants north of its normal range, occasionally remaining to breed in northern European countries, for example in Britain in 1987.
Conservation
The Hawaiian population is endangered due to habitat loss and probably also introduced predators. The IUCN recognizes 3 species at present, merging the Hawaiian and South American birds with the Black-necked Stilt; consequently, none of the three is listed as threatened species. The Black-winged Stilt is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds applies. This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 10,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 360,000-2,300,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
The Hawaiian population is endangered due to habitat loss and probably also introduced predators. The IUCN recognizes 3 species at present, merging the Hawaiian and South American birds with the Black-necked Stilt; consequently, none of the three is listed as threatened species. The Black-winged Stilt is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds applies. This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 10,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 360,000-2,300,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Reproduction
Nests are built on the ground near water, and are made of sticks, mud, or shells, or scrapes in the ground, and may be lined with grass, twigs, and shells. Females lay three or four tan-colored eggs with dark brown or black irregular spots. Incubation is 22 to 26 days. Chicks are able to run, walk and swim as soon as their down is dry, which is usually within 24 hours of hatching.
Black-necked stilts may arrange their nests in small colonies of six to ten nests. Although parents share nest-tending through the incubation period, males will often mob intruders and will even try to chase people away. After the chicks hatch, the parents will remove all eggshells from the nest, probably to better camouflage the nest. At night, chicks will hide from predators in the water, inhibiting predators from seeing them or smelling them.
Nests are built on the ground near water, and are made of sticks, mud, or shells, or scrapes in the ground, and may be lined with grass, twigs, and shells. Females lay three or four tan-colored eggs with dark brown or black irregular spots. Incubation is 22 to 26 days. Chicks are able to run, walk and swim as soon as their down is dry, which is usually within 24 hours of hatching.
Black-necked stilts may arrange their nests in small colonies of six to ten nests. Although parents share nest-tending through the incubation period, males will often mob intruders and will even try to chase people away. After the chicks hatch, the parents will remove all eggshells from the nest, probably to better camouflage the nest. At night, chicks will hide from predators in the water, inhibiting predators from seeing them or smelling them.
