Distinguishing Characteristics

Large, very long-legged black-and-white shorebird (35–39 cm long including 5.7–7.0 cm bill; wingspread to 71 cm; 136–220 g). Adult male in Alternate (breeding) plumage has upper portion of head, back of neck, back, and wings shiny black, spot above eye and remaining plumage white except tail, which is sepia to pale gray, and a pink tinge to the upper breast. Iris red. Bill black and very slightly recurved. Extremely long red legs, half web between middle and outer toe, hallux lacking. Adult male in Basic plumage similar but without gloss and without pinkish tinge on breast. Adult female differs from Alternate male having a brown tinge to back and scapulars, black somewhat paler and without gloss, breast without pink tinge, iris paler; Basic plumage somewhat more muted than Alternate plumage. Legs shorter in female than in male (Hamilton 1975). Juvenal plumage has similar pattern to adult but dark feathers of upperparts brown with buff margins creating a scalloped effect; primaries and secondaries tipped white showing as white trailing edge to wing in flight. Immatures similar to adults but some dark feathers tipped with white and white-tipped flight feathers retained. See Systematics: subspecies for characteristics of races in Hawaiian Is. and South America.

Black-necked Stilt is unique in appearance in North America and unlikely to be confused with any other species within its range. Black-winged Stilt (H. himantopus), accidental vagrant to Alaska (Zeillemaker et al. 1985), similar except head and neck all white or smudged with dark gray, never sharply contrasted black and white or with white mark above eye. Downy young Black-necked Stilt distinguished from American Avocet chicks by pinkish tinge in leg color, minimal degree of foot webbing, and lack of hallux.