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 →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Black-winged Stilt sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 302 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Etosha National Park
Pied Avocet
Recurvirostra avosetta
Blacksmith Lapwing
Vanellus armatus
Crowned Lapwing
Vanellus coronatus
Double-banded Courser
Rhinoptilus africanus
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Ruff
Calidris pugnax
Little Stint
Calidris minuta
Spotted Thick-knee
Burhinus capensis
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
African Jacana
Actophilornis africanus
Burchell's Courser
Cursorius rufus
Temminck's Courser
Cursorius temminckii
📅 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 Etosha National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-winged Stilt sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 302 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black-winged Stilt in Etosha National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Black-winged Stilt in Etosha National Park in our monthly data.