Black-Winged Stilt

A tall, needle-billed wader of shallow lagoons, salt pans and flooded fields, easily recognised by its extremely long pink legs and black-and-white plumage. It wades deliberately in shallow water picking small invertebrates from the surface, and can be noisy and agitated near a nest, calling and diving at intruders. Spring and summer around productive wetlands are the best times to see breeding pairs and their distinctive high-stepping gait.