Black-winged stilt

    Himantopus himantopus

Castilian: Cigüeñuela común

Catalan: Cames llargues

Gallego: Pernalonga

Euskera: Zankaluzea

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Charadriiformes

Family: Recurvirostridae

Migratory status: Summer resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

Disappearing wetlands, the use of pesticides, the transformation of salt marshes and bad water level management all affect its capacity to reproduce. Other problems are the increase of predators (rats and dogs) and the yellow-legged gull, which competes with this species for breeding areas.

Length / size: 33-36 cm / 67-83 cm

Identification: Wader characterised by its long, red legs and its long, thin bill. Its back is dark; in males, it is an iridescent black and in females, brownish. The rest of the body is white and the head and neck have a varying amount of black, depending on the specimen. Juveniles' backs are a speckled brown colour. In flight it appears very elongated.

Song: When it is perched it is silent, but if it feels threatened it makes a high-pitched and penetrating "kee-eek-kee-eek" sound.

Diet: It feeds on aquatic insects that it catches with quick bill movements on or underneath the water's surface or on top of vegetation.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in late April. It breeds in colonies and all the members of the group defend the territory. The nest, made of plant matter, is located in open areas near deep waters, in a depression of the surface. Shortly after hatching, the chicks are able to feed themselves, but they are cared for by their parents until they learn to fly.

HABITAT

It occupies wetland areas with shallow water, such as marshes, estuaries, deltas or seasonal lakes, and it also appears in areas where people are present, such as rice fields or salt evaporation ponds.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is present in almost all the autonomous communities, and more than half of the total population is concentrated in the Guadalquivir marshes and the Ebro Delta.

In Castile and León: It breeds in all the provinces, and is very abundant in Villafáfila (Zamora), and rarer in Burgos, Ávila and Soria.

Movements and migrations: The prenuptial migratory passage in the Mediterranean coast begins between March and June, and in the interior, it begins between February and May. Of the Iberian populations, a part migrates to the south and the rest remain to winter with other central European birds.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 14000-15000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 520-680 breeding pairs.