Stilt

This article is about the type of bird. For other uses, see Stilt (disambiguation).

Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. Most sources recognize 6 species in 2 genera, with Himantopus being the more speciose genus, though the lone species of Cladorhynchus is also considered a stilt. Additionally, the white-backed and Hawaiian stilts are occasionally considered subspecies of the black-necked stilt.

Stilt
Adult black-winged stilt in Tanzania
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Recurvirostridae
Genus:	Himantopus Brisson, 1760
Type species
Charadrius himantopus Linnaeus, 1758

Stilts are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates. They have extremely long legs, hence the group name, and long thin bills. Stilts typically feed on aquatic insects and other small creatures and nest on the ground surface in loose colonies.

Taxonomy

The genus Charadrius was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) as the type species.^[1][2] The generic name Himantopus comes from the Ancient Greek meaning "strap-leg".^[3]

Species

The genus Himantopus contains five species:^[4]

• Black-winged stilt, Himantopus himantopus
• White-backed stilt, Himantopus melanurus
• Pied stilt, Himantopus leucocephalus
• Black-necked stilt, Himantopus mexicanus
  • Hawaiian stilt or aeʻo, Himantopus mexicanus knudseni
• Black stilt, Himantopus novaezelandiae

The genus Cladorhynchus is monotypic and contains a single species:^[4]

• Banded stilt, Cladorhynchus leucocephalus

A fossil stilt has been described by Bickart, 1990, as Himantopus olsoni, based on remains recovered in the Late Miocene Big Sandy Formation of Mohave County, Arizona, United States.^[5]