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Behaviour of Black-Winged Stilts

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Behaviour of Black-Winged Stilts Behaviour of Black-winged Stilts Paul D. Goriup he family Recurvirostridae comprises four genera, two of which are T represented in Europe, by the Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta and the Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus. Five subspecies of the latter are recognised, of which the nominate race occurs in the Palearctic and also breeds in Africa, India and Malaya. Black-winged Stilts have bred once in Britain: two pairs raised three young in Nottinghamshire in 1945 (Staton 1945). Benson (1950) observed copulation by a pair during a stilt invasion in Suffolk and Devon, and one overwintered in Lincolnshire in 1968/69 (Smith etal. 1970). Given its elegance of structure and plumage, vigorous nesting terri­ toriality, and ease of observation, the lack of detailed accounts of stilt behaviour is surprising. Hamilton (1975) published a comparative study of the American Avocet R. americana and the Nearctic race of the Black-winged Stilt known as the 'Black-necked Stilt' H. h. mexicanus in California, but no such information is readily available for Europe (Glutz et al. 1977 provide the most recent review of the European literature). The present study was undertaken during the period 5th May to 22nd June 1979, in Portugal. Sites Most observations were carried out at the Caia reservoir, near the village of Santa Eulalia. The upper reaches of this waterbody comprise a series of shallow bays up to 2 m deep leading to a backwater where a stream and some drainage ditches entered. The shore vegetation was largely grasses, especially creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera, rushes Juncus and sedges Carex. Aquatic plants in the shallow water consisted almost entirely of filamentous algae, but curled pondweed Potamogeton crispus and common water-starwort Callitriche stagnalis did occur. Most of the observed activity was confined to the backwater and adjacent bays, where two pairs of stilts were generally present and a third sometimes seen. The second site, at Vedor, was an elevated, earth-embanked holding reservoir whose sides leaked, forming marshy terraces and pools in the stiff clay soil which supported a lush, herb-rich flora dominated by bulrush Typha latifolia. Many of the rivulets and pools were choked with evil-smelling stonewort Cham. A single pair of stilts nested at this site. The two sites were about 15 km apart, north of the town of Elvas. Methods and observations I identified individuals by features of plumage, and sexed them according to the criteria given by Prater et al. (1977), confirming the sexes after copulation (see fig. 1). It became clear that the standard field-guide 12 [Brit. Birds 75: 12-24, January 1982] Behaviour of Black-winged Stilts 13 description of the plumage of stilts (e.g. Peterson et al. 1974; Heinzel el al. 1972; Bruun & Singer 1970) could not be applied to my birds: for example, pair 1 exhibited the exact opposite sexual plumages to those described in these guides. Activity pattern During the period of observation, and until nesting occurred, the stilts used their time almost exclusively for feeding. Table 1 summarises the various watches, and particular activities seen. Fig. 1. Head patterns oi'Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus, Portugal, 1979: a male 1, b female 1, c male 2, d female 2 14 Behaviour of Black-winged Stilts Locomotion In flight, the stilts used a fairly rapid wingbcat and maintained a reasonable speed, well able to keep up with other waders such as Dunlins Calidris alpina and Redshanks Tringa totanus; speed could be adjusted by raising or lowering the legs, which trailed behind the body and acted as rudders for orientation. To land, stilts glide down with the wings held out horizontally, bringing the legs forward at the last moment for a running or hopping stop, Fig. 2. Aspects of behaviour of Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus, Portugal, 1979: a leaning into wind, b indirect head scratch, c upright posture, (/avoiding attack by Magpie Pica pica, e mobbing Raven Corvus corax Behaviour of Black-winged Stilts 15 or by dropping the legs during flight and hovering above the ground, descending vertically on to both feet. On the ground, the stilts usually employed a gently-bobbing walk, reminiscent of a sandpiper Tringa. Both sexes frequently waded when feeding, tending to stay in water not deeper than the knee, although wading up to belly-depth did occur. When troubled by a following wind, one female had to tack in a shallow zig-zag up the shore, leaning sideways into the wind (fig. 2a); but, when returning down the shore, she walked head-on to the wind. Feeding Stilts were observed feeding in all habitats from dry land to belly-deep water, but mostly at the silty margins of the water. There appeared to be a number of discrete feeding territories, comprising some 20 to 200 m of shoreline, used by pairs or individuals and defended from intrusion by other stilts. The birds present in these territories, however, changed from time to time, or were absent altogether: there were more feeding sites than stilts, and they seemed to be utilised on a first-come, first-served basis. Hamilton (1975) has already described three feeding techniques for Black-necked Stilts: pecking, plunging and snatching. Two new methods were adopted by the Portuguese stilts, while bill-pursuit (previously recorded only for Avocets) was also seen. PECKING This was by Car the commonest way that stilts fed. They walked or waded with a declined body, and a slight bobbing action caused by Hexing the legs, while short jabs were made with the bill (fig. 3a). The items taken by males were visible more often than those taken by females, and particularly large, grub-like prey were dunked and washed before being swallowed. At nightfall, and by moonlight, the pecking-gait altered completely, becoming remarkably plover-like: the stance became quite erect, with the head held well above the shoulders. Locomotion was now a series of short runs followed by pecks, rather than an endless walk. The intervals were spent relatively motionless, with the head cocked to and fro, and it seemed that prey-detection had switched from visual to audial. PLUNGING AND BILL-PURSUIT Plunging appeared to be largely opportunistic, taking advantage of especially clear water or locally abundant submerged prey. A male once used this method lor over 20 minutes, wading energetically in complicated figures and gyrations, kicking water up all around him, before plunging his head and neck into the water and propelling his bill in all directions, then emerging to swallow an item. The travel of head and neck was often so vigorous that a shower of droplets and a sizeable 'bow-wave' was produced (fig. 3b). Nearer the surface, bill-pursuit was used: the bill was half-immersed, and rapidly dabbled while chasing prey. PROBING This technique, and the semi-scythe (below), were performed by a male in addition to the usual pecking method, during an evening feed. When probing, he moved forward step by- step along the shoreline, delving his bill vertically down in a series of short jabs, rocking his body to help provide the necessary thrust. When prey was caught, it was brought to the surface lor swallowing. The bill could be sunk up to the hilt, with the head becoming partly submerged in surface water. The stilt would sometimes twist around to one side and behind in order to probe at an angle (figs. 3c, 3d). SEMI-SCYTHE Hamilton (1975) described the single scythe technique for Avocets, where a partly-open bill is swept horizontally in a wide arc from one side of the body to the other, collecting prey on the way. The stilt, however, swept its bill through silt only from directly in front to a little on one side of the body before swallowing: I could not see if the bill was held partly agape, or if it was dabbled in a sifting action. In order to get the bill more or less horizontal, two postures were adopted, which 1 termed the 'Avocet' and the 'Flamingo'. In the former (fig. 3e), the body was declined, with the legs deeply flexed. The 'Flamingo' involved 16 Behaviour of Black-winged Stilts keeping the legs nearly straight, with the head and neck curved under the body (fig. 3f), and, when the sideways sweep was made, the silt just in front of the toes was sampled. None of the stilts was ever seen drinking, nor was drinking recorded by Hamilton (1975), but Glutz et al. (1977) do mention it. It seems likely that sufficient moisture is usually obtained during swallowing items taken from water. Fig. 3. Feeding techniques of Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus, Portugal, 1979: a typical pecking posture, b plunging, c probing (direct), (/probing (to the side), esemi-scythe— 'Avocet* posture,/semi-scythe—'Flamingo' posture Behaviour of Black-winged Stilts 17 Maintenance and comfort Hamilton (1975) gave a detailed analysis of these activities for the Black- necked Stilt; all of his categories were witnessed in the case of the Portuguese stilts and are briefly reviewed below. PREENING This took place on land or water, usually facing into any breeze. In water, males often employed bill-dipping, where the bill was haif-iminersed, shaken to remove excess drops, and then used to work the breast feathers. Females did not appear to bill-dip, a sexual difference probably related to the role of bill-dipping in copulation. Fig. 4 illustrates the elegant postures adopted by one female while preening. SLEEPING Remarkably, throughout the time of observation, sleeping was recorded only once: by a female in two separate bouts between 09.00 and 11.00 GMT, for a total often minutes.
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