(Himantopus himantopus)
Length: 36-38 cm Common to Western Australia, uncommon at LKCC
The incredibly long slender legs of this elegant wader enable the bird to find its food without the need to swim or submerge, as Banded Stilts and Avocets do. It forages in shallow fresh water and in brackish swamps. It feeds on flies, insects and brine shrimps.
Black-winged stilts are nomadic, flying mainly at night with long trailing legs. They are gregarious but nest in pairs. The nest is a depression in mud lined with grass at the water’s edge. Eggs: usually 4; dull green heavily marked with purple brown.
