Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus

Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus. Birds photographed in the greater Los Cabos area of Baja California Sur, December 2019. Photograph and identifications courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus mexicanus. Bird photographed within the San José del Cabo Estuary, San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, March 2011. Photograph courtesy of Carol Snow, Del Mar, California.

Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus mexicanus. Birds photographed within Bosque de San Juan de Aragón, Mexico City, April 2021. Photographs and identifications courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.

Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus mexicanus. Photograph taken in the coastal area of Yavaros, Sonora, November 2017. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus mexicanus. Photograph taken in the coastal area of Yavaros, Sonora, January 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Background and Identification

The Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus, is a shorebird and one of three subspecies of Black-necked Stilt, and the only subspecies found in Mexico. They are a member of the Recurirostridae Family of Stilts and Avocets, which has nine members placed in three genera, and one of four global species of the Himantopus Genus. This species is distinct, a study in contrasts. Identification is easy, with its shiny black wings and back opposing its bright white breast. They are known in Mexico as Cigüeñuela Cuellinegra.

The Black-necked Stilt is mid-sized to large in stature, ranging from 35  cm (14 inches) to 39 cm (15 inches) long, and weighing 136 g (4.8 oz) to 220 g (7.8 oz). The sexes have similar plumage and are difficult to differentiate in the field. They have contrasting shiny black heads, backs and wings a white breast, a spot above the eye, and a pale gray tail. Their bill is long and straight or very slightly recurved, their iris is red, and they have long bright red or pinkish legs, and their feet lack a hallux. A hallux is a big toe.

Habitat and Geographical Range

The Black-necked Stilts are found wading in shallow wetlands, flooded fields, lake margins, rivers, swamps, and coastal salt marshes at elevations up to 4,200 m (13,800 feet). They require access to fresh water for breeding. Their diet consists of brine shrimp and terrestrial in saltwater environments and of crayfish, small fish, a wide selection of insects, and snails in freshwater environments. They are known for their aggressive behavior towards intruders including incessantly yapping, diving at predators, and feigning mortal injuries.

In Mexico, the mexicanus subspecies is found throughout the country. Populations are found in both the northern and southern sections of the country. Black-necked stilts are both resident and migratory birds. Populations found in the central portions are year-round residents and non-migratory. They breed along the Gulf Coast from Tamaulipas and eastern Nuevo León south to Tabasco, in a narrow coastal band around the Yucatán Peninsula, and in the interior from central Chihuahua, south to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. During the winter months, they can be found in Baja California, Baja California Sur, and along the Pacific Coast from Sonora to Guatemala.

Common Misidentifications

The Black-necked Stilt can be confused with the American Avocet, Recurvirostra americana, another slender wader with long legs. However, the American Avocet has a distinctively upturned bill and different coloration, featuring a rusty head and neck during the breeding season and a white and gray body.

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective the Black-necked Stilt is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Their long-term survival is dependent upon the retention of their wetland breeding territories and reduced amounts of pesticides and selenium within their aquatic environments.