Stilt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the type of bird. For the poles or walking supports, see stilts.
- For the journal of the Australasian Wader Studies Group, see Stilt
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Himantopus |
Stilts are waders in the same bird family as the avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates.
They have extremely long legs, hence the group name, and long thin bills. Stilts typically feed on aquatic insects and other small creatures and nest on the ground surface in loose colonies.
The is some dispute about the taxonomy of the stilts. Handbook of Birds of the World recognises three species in two genera:
- Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
- Black Stilt Himantopus novaezelandiae
- Banded Stilt Cladorhynchus leucocephalus
However, ITIS places Banded Stilt in the Himantopus genus, and splits the American forms of Black-winged Stilt as distinct species:
- Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
- White-backed Stilt Himantopus melanurus
A fossil stilt has been described as Himantopus olsoni, based on remains recovered in the Late Miocene Big Sandy Formation of Wickieup, USA.
