Text extracted from Gill B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Worthy, T.H. 2010. Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Wellington, Te Papa Press and Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Pages 191 & 211-212. Order CHARADRIIFORMES: Waders, Gulls and Terns The family sequence of Christidis & Boles (1994), who adopted that of Sibley et al. (1988) and Sibley & Monroe (1990), is followed here. Family RECURVIROSTRIDAE Bonaparte: Stilts and Avocets Subfamily RECURVIROSTRINAE Bonaparte: Stilts and Avocets Recurvirostrinae Bonaparte, 1831: Saggio dist. Metodica Anim. Vert.: 59 – Type genus Recurvirostra Linnaeus, 1758. Genus Himantopus Brisson Himantopus Brisson, 1760: Ornithologie 1: 46, 5: 33 – Type species (by tautonymy) Charadrius himantopus Linnaeus = Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus). Hypsibates Nitzsch, 1827: in Ersch & Gruber, Allgem. Ency. Wiss. Künste 16: 150 – Type species (by monotypy) Charadrius himantopus Linnaeus = Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus). Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus) Pied Stilt Charadrius Himantopus Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 151 – southern Europe. Almost cosmopolitan, five subspecies recognised. Himantopus himantopus leucocephalus Gould Pied Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus Gould, 1837: Synop. Birds Australia 2: pl. 34 (fide McAllan 2004, Notornis 51: 127) – New South Wales, Australia. Himantopus albus Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – New Zealand. Himantopus picatus Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – New Zealand. Himantopus albicollis Buller, 1875: Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 7: 224 – Orari, Canterbury. Junior primary homonym of Himantopus albicollis Vieillot, 1817. Himantopus seebohmi picata Ellman; Hartert 1891, Kat. Vogel. Mus. Senckenb. Natur. Gesell. Frankfurt Main: 220. Unjustified emendation. Hypsibates leucocephalus albus (Ellman); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th ser.): 255. Himantopus himantopus leucocephalus Gould; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 48. Himantopus himantopus; Moore 1999, Notornis 46: 359. Not Charadrius himantopus Linnaeus, 1758. Extends from the Philippines, Indonesia and Bismarck Archipelago to Australia and New Zealand. Probably a relatively recent colonist to New Zealand from Australia (Holdaway 1995), where it is known as black-winged stilt. For this reason the name Australasian pied stilt, as used in Checklist Committee (1990), is inappropriate. Common throughout most of lowland New Zealand; population estimated at c. 30,000 birds. Many South Island and southern North Island birds migrate to northern parts of North Island after breeding. About 85% of those recorded during winter were in the North Island, the highest numbers being consistently present at Kaipara and Manukau Harbours, and the Firth of Thames. Lake Ellesmere (Te Waihora) is the South Island locality most favoured in winter (Sagar et al. 1999, Medway 2000c). Vagrant at Norfolk Island (Moore 1985a, 1999; Marchant & Higgins 1993); not common at Chatham Islands (Aikman & Miskelly 2004). Through introgression with H. novaezelandiae, the plumage of the New Zealand population is distinct from that of Australian birds (Greene 1999). A distinctively plumaged bird in Tasmania, in the 1980s, is believed to have originated from New Zealand (Fletcher et al. 1989). .