Black-winged stilt
Black-winged stilt | |
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H. h. meridionalis (South Africa) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Recurvirostridae |
Genus: | Himantopus |
Species: | H. himantopus
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Binomial name | |
Himantopus himantopus | |
Range of H. himantopus ( sensu lato , see text)
Breeding Resident Passage Non-breeding
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Synonyms | |
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The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a widely distributed, very long-legged
Taxonomy
The black-winged stilt was
The taxonomy of this bird is still somewhat contentious; it is one of four distinct species, which sometimes are considered
Description
Adults are 33–36 cm (13–14 in) long, with long, pink legs, and a long, rather thin black bill. The birds are generally black above and white below, with a white head and neck (with a varying amount of black, species-dependent). Males have a black back, often with a greenish gloss or sheen. Females' backs have a brownish hue, contrasting with the black
Immature birds are grey, instead of black, and have a markedly sandy hue on their wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight.
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EggMHNT
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Nestling
Ecology and status
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 vagrant north of its normal range, occasionally remaining to breed in northern European countries. Pairs successfully bred in Britain in 1987,[10] and after a 27-year hiatus there were two instances of successful breeding in Southern England in 2014.[11] 13 young were fledged in southern England in 2017.[12] Four chicks were successfully fledged in northern England in 2022; this is believed to be the most northerly breeding success for the black-winged stilt.[13][14]
These birds pick up their food from sand or water. They eat mainly insects and crustaceans.
The nest site is a bare spot on the ground near water. These birds often nest in small groups, sometimes with avocets.
The black-winged stilt is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds applies.
References
- ^ . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Species factsheet: Black-necked Stilt". BirdLife International (BLI). 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2008.[dead link]
- ^ "Species factsheet: Black-winged Stilt". BirdLife International (BLI). 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ "Species factsheet: White-headed Stilt". BirdLife International (BLI). 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2008.[dead link]
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 151.
- ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1934). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 289.
- ^ Jobling, James (2010). Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Helm. p. 191.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "Buttonquail, thick-knees, sheathbills, plovers, oystercatchers, stilts, painted-snipes, jacanas, Plains-wanderer, seedsnipes". IOC World Bird List Version 14.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus, 1758)". Avibase. Denis Lepage. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- Twitching. 1 (6): 148–150.
- ^ RSPB. "27-year first as rare black-winged stilt chicks hatch at RSPB reserves in southern England". RSPB Website. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ "UK's rare black-winged stilt numbers soar". Countryfile Magazine. BBC. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
- ^ "Potteric Carr: Black-winged stilt chicks in northern first". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "Review of the Week: 13-19 June 2022". www.birdguides.com. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
Further reading
- Hayman, Peter; Marchant, John; Prater, Tony (1986). Shorebirds: an identification guide to the waders of the world. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-60237-8.
External links
- "Black-winged stilt media". Internet Bird Collection.
- Black-winged Stilt species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
- Ageing and sexing (PDF; 2.7 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze
- "Himantopus himantopus". Avibase.
- Black-winged stilt photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- Interactive range map of Himantopus himantopus at IUCN Red List maps
- Audio recordings of Black-winged stilt on Xeno-canto.