Black-winged Stilt ( Himantopus himantopus, family: Recurvirostridae)
The Black-winged Stilt (Latin name Himantopus himantopus) is described
in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 295 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 391 also a picture of the Black-winged Stilt on page 385. The
Black-winged Stilt belongs to the family of birds classified as
Recurvirostridae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of
African Ornithology the Black-winged Stilt is also known by these other
names: Common Stilt.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Black-winged Stilt is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger
National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Black-winged Stilt in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Black-winged Stilt : see above distribution map.
The Black-winged Stilt.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Black-winged Stilt is a bird about the size of a Francolin now called Spurfowl. The height of the Black-winged Stilt is about 40 cms and its weight is about 170 gms
You will find that the male Black-winged Stilt plumage and colours are different to that of the female Black-winged Stilt
- Head is white.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is grey.
- Throat is white.
- Back is black.
- Legs are grey.
This bird has long legs.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Black-winged Stilt feeds in or around water mainly
Invertebrates
Aquatic life forms
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Black-winged Stilt is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Himantopus himantopus will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Black-winged Stilt is to create the nest on the ground. The bird lays eggs which are cream in colour and number between 1 to 4
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Black-winged Stilt are: wetlands and riverine areas
You can see Black-winged Stilt in flocks. The bird will often also be seen singly.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Rooipootelsie
German ... Stelzenlufer
Portuguese ... Perna-longa
French ... chasse blanche
Dutch ... Steltkluut
First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 295
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
