Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) in water taken in Malta.
The black-winged stilt, common stilt, or pied stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family (Recurvirostridae). Opinions differ as to whether the birds treated under the scientific name H. himantopus ought to be treated as a single species and if not, how many species to recognize. The scientific name Himantopus comes from the Greek meaning "strap foot" or "thong foot". Most sources today accept 2–4 species. Adults are 33–36 cm long. 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. In the populations that have the top of the head normally white at least in winter, females tend to have less black on head and neck all year round, while males often have much black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually get all-white heads in winter. 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.
Size: 2418px × 3264px
Location: Ghadira Nature Reserve, Mellieha, Malta
Photo credit: © Johan Siggesson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: adult, animal, avocet, bird, black-winged, common, ghadira, himantopus, legs, malta, nature, pied, reserve, stilt, wader, water, wildlife
