Species

Black-necked stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

A black-and-white wader on impossibly long pink legs, nesting in Georgia's coastal impoundments.

Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 35 to 39 cm long
Weight: About 150 to 220 g
Habitat: Shallow ponds, coastal impoundments, salt pans and flooded fields
Diet: Aquatic insects, small crustaceans, snails and small fish
In Georgia: A local summer resident on the coast; rare inland
Voice: A sharp, yapping "kek-kek-kek"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Black above, white below; long, needle-thin black bill; very long bright pink legs
Told apart from: American avocet, which has an upturned bill and, in summer, a rusty head
Where to look: Coastal impoundments and shallow ponds, April to September

Behaviour

Stilts wade in deeper water than most shorebirds, picking prey from the surface. They are noisy and defend nests aggressively, calling and diving at intruders.

Why they matter

Proportionally, the black-necked stilt has among the longest legs of any bird, letting it feed in water other shorebirds cannot reach. It nests in managed impoundments on the Georgia coast, which show how shallow water, carefully managed, supports breeding birds.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A scrape on bare ground or a mound in shallow water
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 22 to 26 days, shared by both parents
Chicks — Leave the nest within hours and feed themselves
Flight — At about four to five weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over twelve years are recorded

Living around people

Adults that call and dive at people are protecting nests or chicks nearby; moving away is all they want.

Misconceptions

A bird calling and diving at you is attacking. It is warning you away from its eggs or young.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Mostly south of Georgia	Few present	First arrivals	Arriving; pairs forming	Nesting	Chicks	Chicks and young	Young flying	Leaving	Few remain	Mostly gone	Mostly gone

Where it lives

Recorded in 73 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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