Three Black-necked Stilts. Courtesy of Catherine Harris.

Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)

One of the most elegant birds in the U.S., the Black-necked Stilt is small-bodied with legs that seem too tall for them. In fact, other than the Flamingo, Black-necked Stilts have the tallest legs in proportion to their bodies of any bird. Usually, their bodies are black on top and white below, and they have distinctive pink legs. Four other stilt species look similar. Similar to the American Avocet, another elegant bird, Stilts and Avocets can crossbreed and produce young. Although this is rare, the resulting bird has been nicknamed, “avo-stilt.”

Found year-round along the Texas coast, they wade in water, feeding on aquatic invertebrates, small crustaceans, and the larva of various insects. They rarely swim. During migration they can be found throughout the rest of Texas, but they breed in the inland Northwest, Florida, and Baja California. Ground nesters, both male and female select the nest site and share the construction work. Two to five eggs are laid, and incubation takes about a month. Only one clutch is hatched per year, but if a nest fails the female may start again with another male. Youngsters start walking after two hours and feed themselves.

Black-necked Stilt. Courtesy of Jeanette Larson.

Their numbers appear to be increasing as territory expands. The birds take advantage of artificial water sources like sewage ponds and only the Hawaiian sub-species is endangered. If you don’t see a stilt, you may hear their loud piping sounds as they communicate, but once you’ve seen a stilt you don’t need further help in identification.

Compiled by Jeanette Larson.

References: Audubon Guide to North American Birds, Cornell Lab All About Birds.