Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Recurvirostridae — Stilts, Avocets

Black-winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus, breeds across the Palearctic, Africa and the Oriental Region, with its range extending from southern Europe and the western Mediterranean through much of Africa and Asia. It also reaches coastal and inland areas in places such as Socotra, Madagascar, the Indian subcontinent, the Malay Peninsula, Vietnam, northern Sumatra and western Java, and it moves on to the Greater Sundas and the Philippines outside the breeding season. A member of the Recurvirostridae, it is a wader with notably long legs.

Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Recurvirostridae — Stilts, Avocets
Breeding range
Palearctic, Africa, Oriental Region: coastal and inland s to ec Europe, Sal (ne Cape Verde Is., s Macaronesia, w of nw Africa); n and Sub-Saharan Africa, Socotra, and coastal Madagascar; through sw Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia to se Russia, ne, e China, locally Honshu and Shikoku (sc Japan), Taiwan, Semirara (ec Philippines), s to n Middle East, Indian subcontinent to Sri Lanka, Malay Pen., Vietnam, n Sumatra and w Java
Nonbreeding range
to Greater Sundas and Philippines
Black-winged Stilt
© Rahul Sankar · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tours where you can spot this bird

28 tours in Portugal 13, Romania 3, Spain 3, South Africa 3, Czech Republic 2, India 1, Tunisia 1, Slovenia 1, Namibia 1

Northern India Birding Tour: Tigers, Birds and the Himalayas
Northern India Birding Tour: Tigers, Birds and the Himalayas
India / New Delhi Group tour 17 days

A 17-day northern India expedition combining wetland and Himalayan birding with Ranthambhore and Corbett wildlife safaris, the Chambal River...

From USD 9,565 Next: Jan 21, 2027
Full-Day Danube Delta Birdwatching with Bunica Maria
Full-Day Danube Delta Birdwatching with Bunica Maria
Romania / Mahmudia Group tour 6h

Spend approximately six hours birding by boat through Carasuhat and Delta channels and lakes, with a fish lunch back at the guesthouse....

Half-Day Danube Delta Birdwatching with Bunica Maria
Half-Day Danube Delta Birdwatching with Bunica Maria
Romania / Mahmudia Group tour 3h

Explore Carasuhat and nearby Delta waterways on an approximately three-hour guided boat outing, followed by a traditional fish lunch....

Private Constanta Birdwatching and Photography with Bunica Maria
Private Constanta Birdwatching and Photography with Bunica Maria
Romania / Constanta Private tour 6h

A six-hour private birding circuit through coastal lakes, wetlands and shoreline habitats around Constanta, for up to three people....

Private 4-Hour Birding Tour at Villaviciosa Estuary
Private 4-Hour Birding Tour at Villaviciosa Estuary
Spain / Villaviciosa Private tour 4h

A private estuary outing using short walks, tidal viewpoints and hides to watch wintering waterbirds, raptors and seasonal migrants....

From EUR 60
Private Mutěnice Ponds Birding with Petr Suvorov
Private Mutěnice Ponds Birding with Petr Suvorov
Czech Republic / Brno Private tour

Work the shallow ponds, reed edges and field tracks east of Mutěnice with Petr Suvorov on a private outing planned around current wetland a...

Private Lednice-Valtice Wetland Birding with Petr Suvorov
Private Lednice-Valtice Wetland Birding with Petr Suvorov
Czech Republic / Brno Private tour

Explore the protected Lednice fishponds and the wider Lednice-Valtice landscape on a private South Moravia birding outing led by Petr Suvoro...

Birdwatching in Les Olles Lagoon and Fangar Bay
Birdwatching in Les Olles Lagoon and Fangar Bay
Spain / L'Ampolla Group tour 3h

Discover the southern Ebro Delta on a 3-hour guided route combining Les Olles Lagoon, coastal viewpoints, rice fields and the shores of Fang...

From EUR 40
Tagus Estuary Birdwatching Boat Tour from Lisbon
Tagus Estuary Birdwatching Boat Tour from Lisbon
Portugal / Lisbon Group tour 2.5h

A small-group birdwatching boat trip from central Lisbon into the Tagus Estuary, accompanied by a marine biologist and ornithologist....

From EUR 40
One-Day Tunis Wetlands, Grasslands and Zaghouan Birding Trip
One-Day Tunis Wetlands, Grasslands and Zaghouan Birding Trip
Tunisia / Tunis Private tour 1 day

Use a private day from Tunis to combine wetlands, grasslands, open country and Zaghouan’s mountain-edge landscape, with stops chosen for t...

Short-break Bird Photography Programme in Southern Portugal
Short-break Bird Photography Programme in Southern Portugal
Portugal / Lisbon Group tour 5 days

Five days of field photography across Tagus and Sado wetlands, Castro Verde’s open plains and the rocky Guadiana country, beginning and en...

Week-long Bird Photography Programme in Southern Portugal
Week-long Bird Photography Programme in Southern Portugal
Portugal / Lisbon Group tour 8 days

An eight-day bird-photography journey from Lisbon through the Tagus and Sado estuaries, Castro Verde, Guadiana Valley and the Algarve wetlan...

Short-break Birds and Conservation Programme in Southern Portugal
Short-break Birds and Conservation Programme in Southern Portugal
Portugal / Lisbon Group tour 5 days

A five-day small-group birding and conservation programme linking Tagus Estuary fieldwork with Guadiana Valley and Castro Verde monitoring a...

Short-break Birdwatching Programme in Southern Portugal
Short-break Birdwatching Programme in Southern Portugal
Portugal / Lisbon Group tour 5 days

A five-day small-group route from Lisbon through the Tagus Estuary, Castro Verde and Guadiana Valley, returning via the Sado Estuary wetland...

Week-long Birds and Dragonflies Programme in Southern Portugal
Week-long Birds and Dragonflies Programme in Southern Portugal
Portugal / Faro Group tour 8 days

An eight-day small-group natural-history circuit from Faro through Alentejo and Algarve birding sites, with a parallel focus on dragonflies ...

Aveiro Lagoon Birdwatching Day Tour from Porto
Aveiro Lagoon Birdwatching Day Tour from Porto
Portugal / Aveiro Private tour 1 day

A full-day private trip from Porto to Aveiro Lagoon, exploring salt marshes, mudflats, dunes, brackish channels and adjoining freshwater far...

From EUR 300
Barrinha de Esmoriz and Douro Estuary Birdwatching Day Tour from Porto
Barrinha de Esmoriz and Douro Estuary Birdwatching Day Tour from Porto
Portugal / Porto Private tour 1 day

Private half-day or full-day birding from Porto, combining Barrinha de Esmoriz’s coastal lagoon with selected habitats around the Douro Es...

From EUR 160
Algarve Private Birdwatching Day Tour to Other Sites
Algarve Private Birdwatching Day Tour to Other Sites
Portugal / Faro Private tour 1 day

A flexible private Algarve birding day built around Salgados, Ria de Alvor, Cape St. Vincent or the Monchique uplands, depending on season a...

Southwest Spain Private Birdwatching Day Tour from the Algarve
Southwest Spain Private Birdwatching Day Tour from the Algarve
Spain / Huelva Private tour 1 day

A full-day private excursion from the eastern Algarve to the wetlands of southwest Spain, with birding shaped around Odiel Marshes or the Do...

From EUR 360
Algarve Private Birdwatching Day Tour
Algarve Private Birdwatching Day Tour
Portugal / Faro Private tour 1 day

Private half-day or full-day birding in the eastern Algarve, centered on the wetlands of Ria Formosa and Castro Marim within easy reach of F...

From EUR 160
Lisbon Private Birdwatching Day Tour to Other Sites
Lisbon Private Birdwatching Day Tour to Other Sites
Portugal / Lisbon Private tour 1 day

A customizable private birding day from Lisbon, selecting one of several coastal, wetland, mountain or inland destinations to match season a...

Sado Estuary Private Birdwatching Day Tour
Sado Estuary Private Birdwatching Day Tour
Portugal / Setubal Private tour 1 day

Private half-day or full-day exploration of the Sado Estuary, combining tidal wetlands, rice fields, dunes and Mediterranean woodland just b...

From EUR 190
Tagus Estuary Private Birdwatching Day Tour
Tagus Estuary Private Birdwatching Day Tour
Portugal / Lisbon Private tour 1 day

Private half-day or full-day birding from Lisbon across the Tagus Estuary’s mudflats, salt pans, reedbeds, rice fields and wooded margins....

From EUR 160
Sečovlje Salina Expert Birdwatching Tour with Iztok Škornik
Sečovlje Salina Expert Birdwatching Tour with Iztok Škornik
Slovenia / Secovlje Private tour 1 day

A three-hour expert birdwatching programme in Slovenia’s Sečovlje salt pans with ornithologist, conservationist and nature photographer I...

2-Day West Coast Birding Tour
2-Day West Coast Birding Tour
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 2 days

Explore the Western Cape coast over two days, from Darling farmland and Geelbek shorebirds to a Berg River boat trip and Velddrif wetlands....

10-Day Western Cape Birding Tour
10-Day Western Cape Birding Tour
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 10 days

A private or small-group Western Cape birding itinerary from Cape Town through the Cape Peninsula, West Coast, Tankwa Karoo, Agulhas Plain, ...

Private West Coast Birding Day Tour with Birding Ecotours
Private West Coast Birding Day Tour with Birding Ecotours
South Africa / Cape Town Private tour 1 day

A private full-day circuit from Cape Town through Darling and the West Coast National Park for larks, korhaans, raptors, shorebirds and coas...

From ZAR 7,000
Southern Africa Birding Expedition: Namibia, Okavango & Victoria Falls with Birding Ecotours
Southern Africa Birding Expedition: Namibia, Okavango & Victoria Falls with Birding Ecotours
Namibia / Walvis Bay Group tour 18 days

An 18-day birding expedition from Namibia's Atlantic coast through Etosha and the Okavango Panhandle to Victoria Falls, combining desert nea...

From USD 10,206