About Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) Danube Delta
The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a species from the wader family, which is a family of birds which live on the shore.
Its name was inspired by its long, red legs. Its black and white plumage completes the image of an elegant bird.
It is a migratory species, which comes to Romania in April and it leaves, to reach its wintering areas in, October. This bird lives in the areas near the great lakes. It prefers brackish areas and the largest number of specimens is to be found in the south part of the Danube's Delta Biosphere Reservation.
The black-winged stilt lives in colonies, alongside agressive and vigilant species. The stilts alarm the colonies using a strong cry.
It feeds with tiny aquatic organisms. Its nest is not elaborate and it is built direcly on the ground.
The stilt nests alongside the pied avocet and the Kentish plover, in mixed colonies, with a small number of birds. The eggs are incubated by both parents. After hatching, the chicks follow immediatly their parents. Sometimes this happens even swimming.
The natural enemies of the black-winged stilt are domestic pigs, foxes and harriers. The impact of the jackals is not known.
Also, due to the fact that is lives in areas near human settlements, the population of black-winged stilts is strongly influenced by human activities.