stilt walking!
Poaka - pied stilt - Himantopus himantopus
This pair were busy walking up and down a shell bank on the Brooklands lagoon for all the world as if they were patrolling it. Indeed at one stage another stilt joined them and was promptly driven off.
The pied stilt is a dainty wading bird with, as its name suggests, black-and white-colouration and very long legs. It is common at wetlands and coastal areas throughout New Zealand and may be seen feeding alongside oystercatchers.
Pied stilts tend to be shy of people and fly away, yapping, when approached.
The pied stilt is a medium-large wader with very long pink legs and a long, fine, black bill. The body is mainly white with black back and wings, and black on the back of the head and neck. In flight the white body and black on the back of the neck are conspicuous. The underside of the wings is black, and the long pink legs trailing behind are diagnostic. Juvenile birds look similar to adults but the back of the head and neck are mottled fawn or brown and off-white and there is no black band. The wings are not quite as black as in the mature bird.
Voice: the calls heard most often are high pitched yapping alarm calls. A less strident version is used as a contact call, including by flocks flying at night. (Source: www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz)
stilt walking!
Poaka - pied stilt - Himantopus himantopus
This pair were busy walking up and down a shell bank on the Brooklands lagoon for all the world as if they were patrolling it. Indeed at one stage another stilt joined them and was promptly driven off.
The pied stilt is a dainty wading bird with, as its name suggests, black-and white-colouration and very long legs. It is common at wetlands and coastal areas throughout New Zealand and may be seen feeding alongside oystercatchers.
Pied stilts tend to be shy of people and fly away, yapping, when approached.
The pied stilt is a medium-large wader with very long pink legs and a long, fine, black bill. The body is mainly white with black back and wings, and black on the back of the head and neck. In flight the white body and black on the back of the neck are conspicuous. The underside of the wings is black, and the long pink legs trailing behind are diagnostic. Juvenile birds look similar to adults but the back of the head and neck are mottled fawn or brown and off-white and there is no black band. The wings are not quite as black as in the mature bird.
Voice: the calls heard most often are high pitched yapping alarm calls. A less strident version is used as a contact call, including by flocks flying at night. (Source: www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz)