Black-winged Stilt: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Paolo Zucca · CC BY · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Himantopus himantopus
- Family
- Stilts and Avocets
- Size
- About 37 cm
- Habitat
- Shallow lagoons and wet fields
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania
The key marks
Very long pink legs, a thin straight black bill and black wings. Avocet has an upcurved bill, a black-and-white pattern and short blue-grey legs.
Voice
A sharp 'kyip-kyip'.
Good to know
Its legs are among the longest of any bird relative to its body.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Pied Avocet. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in shallow lagoons and wet fields. It is especially common in Greece. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.