30 December, 2009

Black-necked Stilt


Scientific Name: Himantopus mexicanus

Population Estimate: 200K to 2M

Range / Habitat: The Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) is a locally abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along the Gulf of Mexico as far east as Florida, then south through Central America and the Caribbean to northwest Brazil southwest Peru,east Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands.

Field Notes: The Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) is treated by HBW as a subspecies of the Common or Black-winged Stilt, using the trinomial name Himantopus himantopus mexicanus. Adults have long pink legs and a long thin black bill. They are white below and have black wings and backs. The tail is white with some grey banding. A continuous area of black extends from the back along the hindneck to the head. There, it forms a cap covering the entire head from the top to just below eye-level, with the exception of the areas surrounding the bill and a small white spot above the eye. Males have a greenish gloss to the back and wings, particularly in the breeding season. This is less pronounced or absent in females, which have a brown tinge to these areas instead. Otherwise, the sexes look alike.

Personal Notes:

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