Pied Stilt
Himantopus leucocephalus
Large black-and-white shorebird with long straight, needle-like bill, and very long pink legs. Note black hind-neck. Juveniles lacks the black hind-neck and has a dark gray crown. Occurs in small groups or in immense flocks, usually close to water. Makes dog-like yapping calls (think Chihuahua).
Identification
The pied stilt grows to a length of about 14 in (36 cm) with a wingspan of about 26.5 in (67 cm). The back of the head and neck, the back and the upper surfaces of the wings are glossy greenish-black. The undersides of the wings are plain black and the remainder of the plumage is white, apart from the tail feathers which are tinged with grey. The long, thin legs are pink and the toes have black claws. The long slender beak is black and the irises and the eyelids are red.
Taxonomy
Himantopus leucocephalus was the scientific name proposed by John Gould in 1837 who described a pied stilt from Australia.
- Scientific name
- Himantopus leucocephalus
- Authority
- Gould, 1837
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Recurvirostridae
- Genus
- Himantopus
Range and habitat
The pied stilt is resident in southern Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and most of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. There are non-breeding populations in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Brunei, Palau, South Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, East Timor and New Guinea. This bird is a vagrant to Japan and Christmas Island.
- Breeding range
- OR, AU : local c, s Philippines, Indonesian Arch., New Guinea region, Australia, New Zealand, ne New Britain (se Bismarck Arch.)
- Non-breeding range
- throughout Philippines
Behavior
The pied stilt is a waterbird and feeds in shallow water, probing into the sediment with its beak. It is gregarious, and in New Zealand sometimes forms mixed flocks with the black stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae). It feeds largely on aquatic insects and on small molluscs. It emits a repeated yelping cry as it flies, and the legs trail behind it, tending to sway from side-to-side.<p>The pied stilt breeds in spring, choosing as a nesting site an area of sand or shingle by an estuary, beside a dried up riverbed, on a flat bit of coast or in a grassy field near the sea. It seems particularly attracted to locations near where the red duck-weed (Azolla rubra) flourishes. It prepares a nest in a shallow depression or in a scrape in the ground where it usually lays four, ovoido-conical eggs. These are yellowish-brown dappled irregularly with dark blotches and spots. The nest is difficult to find as the eggs are well-camouflaged. But the parent birds give away the presence of the nest by mounting into the air and flying in circles, uttering distress cries. The chicks are able to leave the nest almost as soon as they have hatched. They are difficult to detect because their downy plumage is well-camouflaged and they "freeze" when alarmed. A parent bird sometimes feigns a leg injury to draw intruders away from its chicks.
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Marsh Wren
Cistothorus palustris
Small, spunky wren with boldly patterned plumage. Look for dark cap, bright white eyebrow, and black-and-white stripes on back. Compared with similar Sedge Wren, Marsh is overall darker and more contrasty; especially note the solid brown shoulder patch and unstreaked crown. Habitat is also a good clue for identifying this wren: rarely strays far from water, especially extensive cattail marshes and rushes. Migrants are occasionally seen in wet weedy fields. Often difficult to see well as it skulks through reeds, but often perches conspicuously when singing. Variable song usually a gurgling trill with some introductory notes.
Vitelline Warbler
Setophaga vitellina
A small, brightly colored species of dry woodlands and scrub; sometimes visits suburban gardens and parks. It is very similar to the Prairie Warbler, which has a shorter eyebrow that rarely extends much behind the eye. Many Prairies have blackish streaking on sides, while the Vitelline sometimes has dusky streaking on the sides. Similarly, Prairies usually have a white vent as opposed to the Vitelline’s typical yellow vent. Song typically buzzy with three brief introductory notes followed by a longer up-slurred note and then a long down-slurred note: dzz-dzz-dzz-zzzzee-zzzzuu.
Red-collared Myzomela
Myzomela rosenbergii
A small honeyeater of montane forest. Male unmistakeable with a black hood, belly, wings and tail, and a bright red breast, back, rump and collar. Female mainly brown (olive green in some areas), with a black throat, and reduced red on the chest and rump. The only myzomela at high elevations, but co-occurs with other species at middle elevations. Males are distinctive, this is the only female myzomela with a red chest and rump. An energetic and variable song, including up-and-down “tweepy-tweepy-tweepy” phrases with slightly electronic-sounding notes.
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