Stilts have extremely long legs, which is how they get their name, and long thin bills. There are six species: black-winged stilt, which I've seen in Sri Lanka; white-backed stilt; pied stilt; black-necked stilt, the subject of this post; and black stilt.
The black-necked stilt has long pink legs and a long black bill. They are white below and have black wings and backs above. The black extends from the back up the hind neck to the head and forms a cap covering the head to just below eye level, except areas around the bill and a white spot above the eye. The tail is white with some gray banding. In breeding season males have a greenish gloss on the back and wings.
Among other places, it breeds along lake shores in northeastern California and southeastern Oregon. This is where we saw this one, in Tule Lake NWR in northeastern California.
It almost looks like the bottom half of the stilt's legs are a reflection in the water, but then there is a reflection below that. How do they tuck those long legs in when they fly?
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