Pied Stilt

This Pied Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the White Stilt. To a European bird watcher, it is immediately distinguishable by the length and intensity of the black band extending from the back of the neck to the base of the neck where it joins a half-ring of the same color. The back and wings are black, while the underparts, the front and sides of the neck and the rest of the head are white. The long red legs and long, thin black beak are the same on both species. The undersides of the wings are black. The immatures have white necks and heads, the crown of the head and the eye area are greyish; the juveniles are very similar in appearance to the immatures, but the feathers on the back are dark brown with light tips.