| Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Black-winged Stilt French name: Échasse blanche Order: Charadriiformes Family: Recurvirostridae Size: 33-36 cm. Habitat: Marshes, shallow ponds and lakes. Food: Insects and crustaceans. Nesting: Directly on bare ground near water. They often nest in small groups. The nest is roughly lined with some grasses and some leaves. Females lay 3 to 4 eggs between April and June. Migration: Migratory, European birds migrate South of the Sahara in winter. Some birds overwinter near the Mediterranean sea. Geographic area: Southern Europe, Southern Asia, North Africa. One endangered subspecies lives in Hawaii. Another subspecies lives in North America and north of South America. Another subspecies lives in Indonesia and Australia. |
Black-winged Stilts have long thin pink legs. The bill is long, straight, thin and black. Black-winged Stilts have a black and white plumage. The wings, the back and the top of the neck are black. The cap is black, it is rather greyish on juveniles. Males are darker with greenish sheen, females are more brownish. |
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While in Valencia, we took the opportunity to go bird watching at the Albufera Natural Park with its large lake very close to the seaside. Just a little before arriving we stopped at the Racó de l'Olla Interpretation Centre which is equipped for bird watching. These Black-winged Stilts were photographed while walking the trails of this interpretation centre. |
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The views suffer from the bird's eye view as they are taken from a small bridge rather high over water. It is not easy not to overexpose the pure white plumages when the sun is very strong. |
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Another view a little more distant. |
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Ile d'Oléron, Petit port des Salines : The salt pans are a good spot for water bird watching. |
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Resting and taking some exercise on the salt pans' shores. |
André Bon December 2020
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