Black-necked stilt, Himantopus mexicanus (protonym; Charadrius Mexicanus), also known as the daddy longlegs, stilt or longshank, photographed at Bolivar Peninsula, Texas, USA.
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 1 April 2011 [velociraptorize].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400
Question: This striking North American migrant is "a flying field mark" -- why do I say this? Can you identify this species?
Response: This is an adult black-necked stilt, Himantopus (mexicanus) mexicanus. Males and females are nearly indistinguishable, although the plumage on the backs of some females can be more brown than black in colour. Stilts are remarkable because their legs are longer in proportion to their bodies than those of any other bird species except the flamingo.
I refer to this bird as a "flying field mark" because it is unique enough that it is difficult to confuse with any other species, although I suppose one could easily mix it up with a vagrant common stilt from Europe -- but keep in mind that stilts are very rare vagrants. Further, the New World black-necked stilt is distinguished from the Old World black-winged stilt by the white spot above its eye.
This bird's taxonomy is a source of confusion. The American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) considers it a separate species, whilst other authorities treat it as a subspecies of the common or black-winged stilt, Himantopus himantopus, which is found throughout much of Europe. In that system, the black-necked stilt is known by the trinomial, Himantopus h. mexicanus.
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