Black-winged Stilt

Common migrant/non-breeding visitor and scarce breeder.

Stilts are unmistakable, medium-sized, very long-legged, black and white shorebirds. In non-juveniles, legs are bright pink and irides red. Bill needle-like and straight. Mantle, scapulars and wings generally blackish, rest of body white, with variable black markings on head and neck. Adults are sexable. No consistent differences between breeding and non-breeding plumage. Ad ♂︎: Glossy jet black wings, scapulars and mantle. May develop a pinkish flush on white breast when in breeding condition. Black and/or grey markings on head and hindneck extremely variable, from white to fully black hindneck (when extremely similar to Pied Stilt), and white to largely black crown, forehead and ear coverts. These differences may be linked to area of origin, as birds in Bornean Malaysia typically differ from those seen in Peninsular Malaysia, but are as yet poorly understood. Ad ♀︎: Non-glossy, browner wing coverts, scapulars and mantle than males, and sometimes show a greyish tone, especially to tertials. Generally less solid black markings on head and neck. Juv: Tibio-tarsal joints swollen when young and legs often dull yellow, becoming pinker with age. Iris dark. Crown and hindneck dark grey or brown, and this merges with dark brown mantle and scapulars which are prominently edged buff. Wing coverts blacker and similarly edged buff. Trailing edge to secondaries and inner primaries white. Imm: After body moult, immatures are variably brown or greyish on crown, ear coverts and hindneck, and have brown mantle and scapulars similar to Ad ♀︎. Irides pink to reddish, legs and base of lower mandible pale pink. Easily told from adults in flight by retained white-tipped secondaries.

Distinguished from Pied Stilt in adult plumages by the lack of black nuchal mane, or, if nuchal mane is present, by presence of variable dark markings on the head, slightly larger size and typically different call. Juveniles show a less distinct dark cap than Pied Stilt. Immatures may develop red irides and pink bill base earlier than similar-aged Pied but may not be safely separable on current knowledge.

Forages by wading with a stately gait in shallow to deep water (can swim well). Prey is picked from or below the water surface in a rapid and continuous probing/picking motion. Can be territorial when feeding, aggressively and noisily chasing off other stilts.

Increasingly numerous visitor in the northern winter, favouring freshwater marshes and paddyfields. Breeding first recorded in 1998, since when breeding has been recorded in at least Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak and Kelantan and, in 2023, Sarawak.

Most numerous between September and March but can be encountered in all months.