Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

The Black-winged Stilt is a tall, elegant bird with long legs and striking black wings. They love to wade in shallow waters, searching for tasty insects and small fish to eat.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Black-winged Stilt has a striking appearance with its pure white body and black wings and back. Its most defining feature is its extremely long, needle-thin, bright pink legs, making it stand tall above other waders. It also has a slender black bill.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderCharadriiformesFamilyRecurvirostridaeGenusHimantopus

Black-winged Stilt

Interesting facts

Baby stilts can swim and catch food for themselves just hours after hatching!

Black-winged Stilts often feed by sweeping their long bill side-to-side in the water.

Their legs are longer than their entire body, making them one of the world's tallest birds!

These amazing birds can be found living on almost every continent in the world!

Special abilities

Black-winged Stilts have incredibly long legs that help them wade into deep water where other birds cannot reach food.

The Black-winged Stilt has keen eyesight to spot tiny insects and aquatic creatures even in murky water.

Black-winged Stilts can pretend to have a broken wing, distracting predators away from their hidden nests.

Measurements & details

Length: 33-36 cm
Wingspan: 67-83 cm
Weight: 0.15-0.22 kg
Lifespan: 10-15 years
Top Speed: 50 km/h
Clutch Size: 3-5
Incubation: 22-26 days
Migration Distance: 5000 km

Diet & Feeding

This bird mostly eats small aquatic creatures it finds in shallow water with its long bill.

Primary Foods

aquatic insects
larvae
small crustaceans
worms
tadpoles
small fish

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eats

Yellow-legged Gull

Larus michahellis

Gulls may prey on stilt eggs and chicks.

eaten by

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

Foxes are common predators of stilt nests and chicks.

hunts

Common Midge

Chironomus plumosus

Stilts feed on larvae and adult midges in wetlands.

hunts

Brine Shrimp

Artemia salina

Abundant prey in salt pans, a key stilt habitat.

Traits

Feathered

Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.