Black-winged Stilt
Himantopus himantopus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyRecurvirostridae (Stilts and Avocets)
- GenusHimantopus (Typical Stilts)
- SpeciesHimantopus himantopus (Black-winged Stilt)
The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a widely distributed, very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family Recurvirostridae. Its scientific name, Himantopus himantopus, is sometimes used to generalize a single, almost cosmopolitan species. Alternatively, it is restricted to the form that is widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa, which equals the nominate group of H. himantopus sensu lato. Meanwhile, the black-necked (H. mexicanus) and white-backed stilts (H. melanurus) both inhabit the Americas; the pied stilt (H. leucocephalus) ranges from Australia and New Zealand. Today, most sources accept between one and four actual species. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-winged Stilt sighting in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Pied Avocet
Recurvirostra avosetta
Crowned Lapwing
Vanellus coronatus
Spotted Thick-knee
Burhinus capensis
African Jacana
Actophilornis africanus
Double-banded Courser
Rhinoptilus africanus
Bronze-winged Courser
Rhinoptilus chalcopterus
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus
Ruff
Calidris pugnax
Greater Painted-Snipe
Rostratula benghalensis
Blacksmith Lapwing
Vanellus armatus
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Burchell's Courser
Cursorius rufus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black-winged Stilt in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park?
About 3% of wildlife watchers report a Black-winged Stilt sighting in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black-winged Stilt in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Black-winged Stilt in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in our monthly data.