Black-necked Stilt

A black-necked stilt.

I can understand why this bird is called a stilt.  The long legs make it a "tall and lanky" figure worthy of a comic book.  Considering their overall size, these shorebirds have the longest leg-to-body ratio, surpassed only by flamingos.  They even beat out ostriches and emus, ratio-wise.

Black-necked stilts were an uncommon site in Canada.  It wasn't until 1977 that they were first observed nesting north of the border.  I have seen them in Arizona and Texas, but until this year I have never seen them here.  The one above I photographed just outside the city limits of Red Deer, Alberta.  Is the expansion of their range because of habitat loss or global warming?  I would venture to say both are valid explanations.

Recently, I wrote a blog on the American Avocet.  It turns out that stilts and avocets are closely related and can interbreed with each other.  Although rare, the chicks are viable and will mature to adulthood.  These "avo-stilts" have the characteristics of both parents but the bill of a stilt; apparently, the long-curved bills of avocets are recessive to the shorter bill of the stilts.  The offspring are apparently sterile in the same way that a mule (offspring of a donkey and horse) is.

Nesting adults will evacuate the nest if a predator is in the area.  Their loud cries and feigning injury behaviour often cause the would-be marauder to lose interest in the nest site.  Another technique used to prevent predation involves group dynamics.  A number of adults will harry an intruder by hopping, jumping, or flapping in something called a "popcorn display".  This reduces risk to any one single bird and increases the likelihood of a successful outcome.

I love watching them fly; their long legs protrude behind their elegant bodies.  I took the photograph below seven years ago while visiting the Salton Sea in Arizona.

Thanks for reading.  Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com