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Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMESFamily: Avocets and Stilts (Recurvirostridae)
Black-necked Stilt Head Illustration

Head

  • Bill Shape: Dagger
  • Eye Color: Brown in juveniles; various intense shades of red in adults, generally less vivid in females; All, brownish next to pupil.
  • Head Pattern: Eyering (complete or broken), Special (unique patterns or features)
  • Crown Color: Black
  • Forehead Color: White
  • Nape Color: Black
  • Throat Color: White
  • Cere color: No Data
Black-necked Stilt Body Illustration

Body

  • Length Range: 36-39 cm (14-15.5 in)
  • Weight: 167 g (5.9 oz)
  • Size: Size 3. Medium (9 - 16 in)
  • Color: White, Black
  • Underparts: White
  • Upperparts: Black
  • Back Pattern: Solid
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Solid
Black-necked Stilt Flight Illustration

Flight

  • Flight Pattern: Swift direct flight with shallow wing beats.
  • Wingspan Range: 64-69 cm (25-27 in)
  • Wing Shape: Long-Wings, Tapered-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Squared Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid
  • Upper Tail: White
  • Under Tail: White
  • Leg Color: Pale red
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Family Avocets and Stilts (Recurvirostridae)_blue
Species Himantopus mexicanus
Length14 - 15.5 Inches
Wingspan26 Inches

Black-necked Stilt

Black-necked Stilt: Large shorebird with sharply contrasting black upperparts and white underparts. Long, thin, upcurved bill. Red eyes with white eye-rings, and white patch above. Legs are extremely long and red-pink. Feeds on insects, fish, worms, small crustaceans and seeds. Swift direct flight.

● Song: "kek-kek-kek", "yip-yip-yip"

● Foraging & Feeding: Black-necked Stilt: Feeds on tadpoles, mollusks, water beetles and other aquatic insects, snails, small fish, flying insects, and seeds.

● Breeding & nesting: Black-necked Stilt: Three to five brown-spotted, yellow or buff eggs are laid in a shallow ground depression lined with grass or shell fragments, usually in a marsh; nests in loose colonies. Incubation ranges from 22 to 25 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Black-necked Stilt: American Avocet is larger, and has white on back, dark legs, and rust-brown or gray on head and neck.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with shallow wing beats.
Black-necked Stilt Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Black-necked Stilt: Breeds along coasts from Oregon and Delaware southward, and locally in western interior states east to Idaho, Kansas, and Texas. Spends winters along the Pacific coast north to central California, Florida, and other Gulf coast states. Preferred habitats include salt marshes, shallow coastal bays, and freshwater marshes.
BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies
PopulationFairly common to uncommon
MigrationMost migrate
Weight5.9 Ounces