Black-winged Stilt

(Himantopus himantopus)

(adult)

Size(33-36cm):  Small wader with incredibly long legs (comparing to their body size).

Area: Resident as well as migratory bird found all over India till about 1600m in Himalayas.

Habitat: Its habitat is much similar to that of the Sarus Crane– Marshes, ponds, lakes and riversides.

My two words: They have black and white plumage. Their named so because of their long, pink legs which do the work much like the ‘stilts’ do to protect the house from water (in stilt house). An adult male has black wings, bill and sometimes nape and crown. The female is brown where the male is black. The immature bird is grey-brown where the male is black.

(immature Black-winged Stilt)

Being highly gregarious these birds are generally found in small parties.

The nest in which the eggs are laid is build on a bare site near water. They might sometimes nest in small parties (usually with Pied Avocet(s) in India).

They feed generally on molluscs, crustaceans, insects and aquatic vegetation.

Their conservation status is of ‘LC (Least Concern)’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

~Arjun Basandrai