Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
Striking large black-and-white wader with a thin, straight bill and bright pink legs, found in wetlands with open shallow water throughout much of Africa and Eurasia, often in brackish habitats. Some populations are migratory, departing northerly breeding grounds for warmer southern regions. Often forms noisy colonies on bare ground near water. Essentially unmistakable throughout much of its range, but compare with Pied Stilt in parts of Southeast Asia. Feeds by wading in water, picking from the water surface with its needle-like bill. In flight, long pink legs stick out far beyond the tail. Calls loudly and stridently, especially when alarmed during the breeding season.
Identification
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 remiges. In populations where the top of the head is normally white (at least in winter), females tend to have less black on the head and neck the entire year-round, while males often have much more black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually grow all-white head feathers in winter.<p>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.
Taxonomy
The black-winged stilt was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the plovers in the genus Charadrius and coined the binomial name Charadrius himantopus. He specified the type locality as southern Europe. The taxonomic name Himantopus comes from Greek, meaning "strap-foot" or "thong-foot". The black-winged stilt is now one of five species placed in the genus Himantopus that was introduced by the French naturalist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.<p>The taxonomy of this bird is still somewhat contentious; it is one of four distinct species, which sometimes are considered subspecies of H. himantopus. H. himantopus sensu lato is made up of a single species, with 5–7 subspecies, and is sometimes referred to as the common stilt. The name "black-winged stilt" refers to H. himantopus sensu stricto, with two subspecies (H.h. himantopus from the Palearctic to South Asia, and H.h. meridionalis from the Afrotropical region).
- Scientific name
- Himantopus himantopus
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Recurvirostridae
- Genus
- Himantopus
Range and habitat
Breeding range: PAL, AF, OR : coastal and inland s to ec Europe, Sal (ne Cape Verde Is., s Macaronesia, w of nw Africa); n and Sub-Saharan Africa, Socotra, and coastal Madagascar; through sw Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia to se Russia, ne, e China, locally Honshu and Shikoku (sc Japan), Taiwan, Semirara (ec Philippines), s to n Middle East, Indian subcontinent to Sri Lanka, Malay Pen., Vietnam, n Sumatra and w Java. Non-breeding range: to Greater Sundas and Philippines.
- Breeding range
- PAL, AF, OR : coastal and inland s to ec Europe, Sal (ne Cape Verde Is., s Macaronesia, w of nw Africa); n and Sub-Saharan Africa, Socotra, and coastal Madagascar; through sw Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia to se Russia, ne, e China, locally Honshu and Shikoku (sc Japan), Taiwan, Semirara (ec Philippines), s to n Middle East, Indian subcontinent to Sri Lanka, Malay Pen., Vietnam, n Sumatra and w Java
- Non-breeding range
- to Greater Sundas and Philippines
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: rising.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Anthracothorax prevostii
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Cebu Boobook
Ninox rumseyi
A medium-sized owl of wooded areas on the island of Cebu. Head and upperparts dark brown and indistinctly barred. Underparts orange-brown. Shows some white speckling in the wing, a pale bar behind the shoulder, bright yellow eyes, and white eyebrows forming an arching V-shape. Note the large white throat patch. Unmistakable. No other owls occur in its range. Song is a distinctive “wip! Doo-wip! Doh” with the middle notes falling then rising, and the final note falling. Also gives single “wip” notes and rasps.
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Myrmoborus myotherinus
Short-tailed antbird of forest understory. Both sexes have black face. Males are gray with white wingbars; females are brown above, buffy below, with cream wingbars and a white or buffy throat. Forages singly or in pairs low in the undergrowth of mature forest. Usually inhabits more mature forest than similar White-browed Antbird, but there is some overlap. Note differences in facial pattern; males lack the white eyebrow and females lack the orange eyebrow seen on White-browed Antbirds. Female Black-faced Antbirds also have browner underparts than White-browed. Listen for an even-paced series of 5–7 whistles that is slightly higher in the middle. In the southern part of its range, these whistles are pure-toned; in the north, they are harsher.
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