Black-Necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Everything about the black-necked stilt seems to be delicate: from its incredible and thin stilt legs to its slender wings and its needle-shaped beak; even so he manages to survive on plains where he burns the sun around shallow lakes, some of them located in scorching climates.
State of conservation
It is possible that the numbers are increasing as the distribution zone extends. It adapts quickly to artificial habitats (sewers, dykes, etc.), so that its breeding area has expanded in recent years. The peculiar subspecies that inhabits Hawaii is rare and is considered in danger of extinction.
Family:
Storks and Avocets.
Habitat:
Swamps with a lot of grass, marshes, ponds and shallow lakes (freshwater and alkaline). It can be found every season at shallow water edge in very open fields, especially where there is a lot of swampy vegetation. To nest, you need open and uncovered ground near the water and with little vegetation. It is usually found in the same places as the American avocet, but the stilt has a greater preference for fresh water.
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Food behavior:
Look for much of your food with your eyes, picking it up from the surface of the water or mud with your beak and you can detect elements under the water and dip your head to catch them. If you are standing, you may catch a flying insect.
Eggs:
4 and sometimes 3 or 5. Ocher-colored with dark brown and black spots. Both parents participate in the incubation, which lasts around 25 days. The female can incubate during the night and the parents take turns during the day. On very hot days, adults can go to the water and wet their belly feathers to cool the eggs. Breeding: the small young leave the nest shortly after hatching, and both parents take care of them, but feed on their own. The first flight occurs at 4 or 5 weeks of age.
Diet:
Mainly insects and crustaceans. It feeds on very small creatures that live on or near the surface of the water, which includes many flies, beetles and other insects, as well as shrimp, crayfish, snails and, sometimes, tadpoles or small fish. It also feeds on some seeds or aquatic plants. In some lakes in the west, you can feed heavily on artemia and coastal flies.
Nesting:
Normally, it nests in dispersed colonies and sometimes mixes with avocets. If predators approach the colony, many adults fly to a place located at a distance and make an exhibition as a distraction. Nest: they are located in open and discovered ground near the water or in a small elevation surrounded by water. The nest (built by both sexes) is variable; They can dig a simple nest on the ground or build a mound above the water level and cover it with stones, shells and debris.
