A rare sighting
of a Black-winged Stilt at Pett,
Sussex at 16:30
Wednesday 15th August 2012.
Black-winged
Stilt
The Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus
himantopus - is a widely distributed very long-legged wader rarely seen in
the UK.
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/red 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.