The Black-winged
Stilt - Himantopus himantopus – is the bird that has the
longest legs. It is a widely distributed very long-legged wader. In southern Africa it is common across much of the region. It
generally prefers inland and coastal wetlands, such as commercial salt pans,
flooded fields, flood plains, papyrus swamps and sewage works.
Description
They have 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. 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.
Call
Black-winged
Stilts give a repeated high-pitched “Kek” call and a “Kee-ack” alarm call.
Food
It mainly eats
insects, other invertebrates and fish, doing most of its foraging by locating
prey visually before plucking them from the water surface, or by immersing its
head in the water while locating prey with touch.
Breeding
The nest is built
by both sexes, consisting of a mound of mud usually with incorporated pieces of
weed. It is typically placed on damp mud, mats of vegetation or some other
structure at the edge of the waterline. Egg-laying season is year-round and the
female lays 2 to 5 eggs, which are mainly incubated by the female for about 24
to 27 days. The chicks leave the nest and are capable of self-feeding with 24
hours of hatching. The young can fly in 28 to 32 days and become fully
independent between 14 to 28 days later.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
The Black-winged
Stilt has a very large range that includes scattered locations in southern and
western Europe, central, eastern, and southern Asia, and a great deal of
sub-Saharan Africa. Not threatened in Southern Africa.
Bird watching
These striking
birds can be seen on the following Aves
Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding
Tour/Safari/Adventure.
Aves Highlands /
Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding
Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East
Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West
Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves Western Cape
Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast
Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.