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9

Pied Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus) Alternate name(s): "White-headed Stilt"; (formerly "Black-winged Stilt") Aboriginal name(s): "dit", "djandjarok", "djoka" (WA) Size: 33-40 cm; wing span 67-83 cm Weight: 135-290 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Pied Stilts are medium-sized, long-legged, black-and-white waders. Their body plumage is mostly white, except for a black patch on the nape of the neck and the black upperwings. The underwings are also entirely black. The irises are dark. The slender, straight bill is dull black, while the long legs are prominently pink (often seen trailing far beyond the end of the tail in flight). Immature Pied Stilts have an all-white head and neck, except for a small brownish-grey cap. Juvenile birds have a more prominent brownish-grey cap and a grey patch at the nape of the neck. Twitcher's tip Pied Stilts distinguish themselves from Banded Stilts and Red-necked Avocets by having an all black-and-white plumage, without any brown parts.

Taxonomy, classification See Pied Stilt at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information The taxonomy of the genus Himantopus is still contentious. We have no authority to weigh in on the issue, but will follow here the convention currently (2019/20) in use by ebird.org , where the species shown here is called the (Australasian) "Pied Stilt", which was formerly treated as a race of the (Eurasian) Black-winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus, as Himantopus himantopus leucocephalus. We do not include here any birds in the genus Himantopus found on the American continents.

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Pied Stilt is available HERE . They populate an area spanning from Indonesia (Java) to New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. Part of the southern population (Australia, NZ) is migratory and spends the southern winters in the Philippines region. In Australia Pied Stilts are most common in the South-East of the continent, mainly in western VIC and south-western NSW, where they breed. Outside the breeding season they are found almost anywhere in the eastern half of the continent, except Tasmania and the tip of Cape York peninsula, around the tropical North of the NT and the North-West coast of WA and in the entire western half of WA. The only area where they are not found at all is the most arid part of the continent, i.e. the major sandy deserts from about the Nullarbor to South of the Kimberley, WA. Pied Stilts can be found in the shallows of various kinds of aquatic habitat (both saline and freshwater), such as e.g. ephemeral wetlands, freshwater lakes (including ephemeral lakes), but also saltwater marshes.

Sightings Click here for sighting information In July 2005 and again in November 2006 we spotted Pied Stilts at Dangar's Lagoon near Uralla, NSW. They were seen there again in January 2011. Subsequently hundreds, possibly thousands, of birds were spotted by us at Goran Lake, an ephemeral lake about 30 km South of Gunnedah, NSW, first in April 2011. About 6 weeks later, in early June, only about 100 were left, while several hundred Red-necked Avocets had moved in. In August only about 50 were spotted, keeping well away from the ever more numerous Red-necked Avocets. By mid-2012 their number had dwindled to just a few birds. Pied Stilts returned to Goran Lake in good numbers in late 2021, when it filled up again. Small numbers of Pied Stilts are occasionally seen by us in lakes and ephemeral wetlands in the area of Narrabri, Wee Waa, Burren Junction and Walgett, in inland NSW. C. Hayne reports that Pied Stilts are regularly seen in very large numbers on various small lakes and waterholes in the Gwydir Wetlands, some 50 km West of Moree, NSW. In September 2012 we also spotted Pied Stilts in lakes at Currawinya NP, south-western QLD. R. Plumtree reports spotting Pied Stilts at Hollands Landing, Lake Victoria, East Gippsland, VIC, in October 2014. J. Greaves reports Pied Stilts breeding at Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, in January 2015, and at the Kununurra, WA, sewage treatment works in January 2016. M. Eaton reports finding Pied Stilts at Knuckey's Lagoon, near Darwin, NT, in July 2018. M. Eaton also found Pied Stilts at Beeliar North Lake, Cockburn, WA, in April 2019. M. Mearns reports spotting Pied Stilts on the Georgina River at Camooweal, QLD, in September 2019. C. Pears spotted a Pied Stilt at Rottnest Island, near Perth, WA, in April 2018. Another was found at Mellenbye Station, ca. 50 km NE of Morawa, WA, in September 2022.

Photos

Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a look here .

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Pied Stilt (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Goran Lake, NSW, January 2022]

Frontal view of an adult Pied Stilt
[Goran Lake, NSW, January 2022]

Near-frontal view of a Pied Stilt
[Goran Lake, NSW, January 2022]

Near-lateral view of a Pied Stilt (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Goran Lake, NSW, January 2022]

Near-lateral view of an adult Pied Stilt
[Goran Lake, NSW, June 2011]

Near-lateral view of a Pied Stilt
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, March 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a Pied Stilt
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, March 2021]

Lateral view of a Pied Stilt wading through shallow water
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2012]

Lateral view of a Pied Stilt (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Goran Lake, NSW, January 2022]

Lateral view of an adult Pied Stilt (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Gwydir Wetlands near Moree, NSW, November 2012]

Adult Pied Stilt (left) now with an immature bird (right) wading through shallow water
[Goran Lake, NSW, June 2011]

Dorsal view of an adult Pied Stilt
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2012]

Pied Stilt issuing a warning call
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2014]

Frontal view of a Pied Stilt in flight
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, November 2017]

Close-up lateral view of an adult Pied Stilt in flight
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, December 2015]

Pied Stilts in flight; note that the legs of the immature birds are a bit paler than those of the adults
[Goran Lake, NSW, June 2011]

Lateral view of Pied Stilts in flight
[Goran Lake, near Gunnedah, NSW, January 2022]

Pied Stilt in flight (right), compared with a Masked Lapwing (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Pied Stilt touching down
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2012]

Pied Stilts on the point of landing (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Near Moree, NSW, November 2012]

Long-range shot of about 45 Pied Stilts at Goran Lake
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2011]

Dorsal view of an adult Pied Stilt taken in captivity

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a juvenile Pied Stilt (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Murrumba Downs, near Brisbane, QLD, July 2017]

Two immature Pied Stilts in an ephemeral wetland
[Near Walgett, NSW, April 2009]

Immature Pied Stilt feeding in an ephemeral wetland, in this case a flooded grain field; the dark eyepatch clearly distinguishes this bird as a juvenile, although the legs are already turning red (click on image for a different posture)
[Near Walgett, NSW, April 2009]

Lateral view of a juvenile Pied Stilt in flight
[Warambah Dam, QLD, June 2017]

Pied Stilts "crossing a road" - immature on the left, adult on the right
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, December 2014]

Lateral view of two juvenile Pied Stilts; these birds were seen begging their parents for food
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, January 2016]

Lateral view of a juvenile Pied Stilt that was almost ready to fly
[Goran Lake, NSW, February 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Pied Stilt that was almost ready to fly
[Goran Lake, NSW, February 2022]

Lateral view of a Pied Stilt chick
[Goran Lake, near Gunnedah, NSW, January 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Pied Stilt chick
[Goran Lake, near Gunnedah, NSW, January 2022]

Two Pied Stilt chicks on a mudflat (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, February 2018]

Pied Stilt with two chicks (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, January 2015]

Lateral view of a Pied Stilt chick (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, January 2015]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Flock

Pied Stilt posturing to protect its young - no nest was found (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Scrub Lane, Lake Samsonvale, QLD, December 2019]

Pied Stilt posturing to protect its young - in this case 3 chicks were found
[Goran Lake, near Gunnedah, NSW, January 2022]

Pied Stilts are usually "well-behaved" birds; however, this one was so cranky that it not only kept on calling an alarm...
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, December 2015]

... but actually had a serious go at a very young Grey Teal duckling, forcing it to dive for cover!
[Burren Junction Bore Bath, NSW, December 2015]

Food, Diet

Pied Stilt gobbling up its catch
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2015]

Pied Stilt gobbling up its catch, which looked like a small crustacean

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

blwstlt_20140523.mp3	(SE QLD)	Contact call	© MD
blwstlt_20151222_3.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls	© MD
blwstlt_20151219.m4a	(NW NSW)	Warning calls (pair)	© MD
blwstlt_20151222_5.m4a	(NW NSW)	Warning calls (in-flight)	© MD
blwstlt_20151222_7.m4a	(NW NSW)	Warning calls (in-flight)	© MD
blwstlt_20220116.m4a	(NW NSW)	Alarm calls (in-flight); humans near chicks	© MD
blwstlt_20151222_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Upset (flock with Red-necked Avocet)	© MD
blwstlt_20151222.m4a	(NW NSW)	Upset (flock with Red-necked Avocet)	© MD
blwstlt_20201110.m4a	(NW NSW)	? (Fluttering above reeds)	© MD
blwstlt_20201110_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	? (Fluttering above reeds)	© MD

More Pied Stilt sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Mon, 26 September 2022, 6:53 +00:00