PIED STILT

(*   22)                 PIED STILT                 Himantopus himantopus 

NEW ZEALAND             38

Breeds on riverbeds, lake margins, and damp pastures. 35 cm. An abundant native in New Zealand; most of the 30,000 birds in NZ form flocks at estuaries and lakes outside breeding season; many South Island and southern North Island birds migrate to northern North Island after breeding season.

Photographed at Napier, New Zealand June 2017

PIED STILT

Photographed in north-west Bali October 2016

(853)              PIED STILT                  Himantopus leucocephalus 

INDONESIA (Bali)         (74)        

Also known as White-headed Stilt. Found on coastal wetlands, especially around brackish lakes and saline marshes just behind tidal estuaries. 37 cms. Distribution: worldwide, tropics and subtropics, somewhat nomadic; Uncommon resident on Java, Sumatra, probably Sulawesi and possibly other islands in the east.

NOTE:  Taxonomy is somewhat contentious. Sometimes lumped with Black-winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus, as one species.

BLACK-WINGED STILT

22      BLACK-WINGED STILT          Himantopus himantopus

Also known as Pied or White-headed stilt. It is 33-38 cms. Swamps, lakes, shallow rivers, salt pans, tidal estuaries, mudflats. Found in most of Australia except central east of Western Australia. Found in pairs, small groups, sometimes large groups.

Photographed near Singleton