The black-winged stilt is one of the most elegant wading birds you will encounter on a Uganda safari — its extraordinarily long pink legs, the longest in proportion to body size of any bird in the world, give it an almost comically attenuated appearance that is instantly recognisable, and it is found throughout Uganda’s shallow wetlands, lake margins, and flooded grasslands where its black-and-white plumage stands out at considerable distance. The black-winged stilt is a reliable sighting on any Uganda safari near water.
- Scientific name: Himantopus himantopus — the name means “strap foot” in Greek, referring to the extremely long legs
- Identification: white body; entirely black wings and back; long bright pink-red legs; straight black needle-bill; red eye
- Uganda sites: common throughout; Kazinga Channel, Murchison Falls (Nile shallows), Lake Mburo, Lake Victoria margins, any flooded grassland
- Legs: legs are 60% of total body height — proportionally the longest legs of any bird species globally
The black-winged stilt is one of the most elegant wading birds you will encounter on a Uganda safari. Its extraordinarily long pink legs — the longest in proportion to body size of any bird — give it an almost comically attenuated appearance that is instantly recognisable. These legs allow it to wade in water too deep for other waders, accessing food sources unavailable to shorter-legged species.
The combination of jet-black wings, pure white body, and shocking pink legs makes the black-winged stilt one of the most striking waders in Africa. In Uganda in 2027 you will find it at lake margins, flooded grasslands, and the shallows of major wetlands throughout the country.
Identification
The black-winged stilt is unmistakable. The upperparts are glossy black and the underparts are pure white. The head pattern varies — some adults have a completely white head while others have black on the back of the head and neck. The bill is straight, slender, and black. The eyes are red. The extraordinarily long legs are bright pink-red.
The bird reaches about 37 centimetres in body length but the legs add another 15 centimetres. In flight the long pink legs trail far behind, making the bird look like it is landing even when it is flying level. The striking black and white pattern is visible from great distances. Calls are a loud, repeated “kik-kik-kik” given persistently when alarmed.
Habitat and Distribution in Uganda
The black-winged stilt is found throughout Uganda at suitable shallow wetland habitats. It prefers open areas of shallow water with muddy margins — flooded fields, lake shallows, sewage ponds, and irrigated agricultural land. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo, and the Lake Victoria shoreline are reliable locations. The species is more common in the drier parts of Uganda near Murchison Falls and Lake Albert.
The species is often seen in flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes numbering dozens of birds. It is a locally nomadic species that moves in response to water conditions, appearing at temporary wetlands after heavy rain and concentrating at permanent water during dry spells. This means sightings can vary considerably between visits.
Feeding Strategy
The black-winged stilt uses its long legs to wade in water too deep for other waders, picking food from the surface and occasionally submerging its head to reach submerged prey. The diet includes aquatic insects, small crustaceans, molluscs, small fish, and seeds. The straight bill is used for picking rather than probing — the stilt feeds by sight rather than touch.
Feeding stilts are active and energetic, walking rapidly through shallow water and making sudden darting strikes at prey. They sometimes spin in circles in the water to create a vortex that brings invertebrates to the surface. When insect hatches occur they may fly upward to catch aerial prey, briefly abandoning their aquatic feeding style.
Breeding Biology
Black-winged stilts nest in loose colonies, often with other waders and waterbirds. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with plant material on a muddy bank, small island, or floating mat of vegetation. Both parents incubate the three to four eggs for about 25 days. Chicks are precocial and leave the nest within hours of hatching. The parents aggressively mob predators approaching the nest area.
The breeding season in Uganda is linked to water levels, with birds breeding when conditions are most suitable. Both parents share incubation and chick-guarding duties. The long legs of chicks develop rapidly and they can wade in shallow water within days of hatching. They fledge at about 28 to 32 days.
Photography Tips
The black-winged stilt’s dramatic colouration makes it extremely photogenic. The key challenge is capturing the extraordinary long legs in context — try to photograph birds wading in water deep enough to show the legs fully extended. Reflections on calm water double the impact of the black and white pattern. A 400mm lens is ideal and the species is generally tolerant of a careful approach.
Plan Your 2027 Uganda Safari
The gorilla trekking permit costs $800 in 2027. Black-winged stilts are one of the most reliable wetland bird sightings in Uganda and will feature on virtually any itinerary that includes time near lakes and rivers. Contact us to plan a 2027 safari combining gorilla trekking with exceptional waterbird watching across Uganda’s outstanding national parks.
How long are the black-winged stilt’s legs relative to its body?
The stilt holds the record for the longest legs relative to body size of any bird. The numbers: a black-winged stilt has a body length of approximately 35-40cm; its legs are approximately 20-25cm long; this means the legs are about 60% of total body height; if a human were built to the same proportions their legs would be approximately 110cm. Why such long legs: the stilt wades in deeper water than most waders; the long legs allow it to feed in water 15-25cm deep that smaller-legged plovers cannot access; this gives it access to a foraging zone avoided by most competitors. The walk: a stilt walking through shallow water has a distinctive high-stepping gait; the legs fold back awkwardly when the bird lands after flight. Resting: roosting stilts tuck one leg up against the body and stand on one leg like flamingos; the long single pink leg standing in water is a comical sight.
Is the black-winged stilt found throughout Uganda?
The black-winged stilt is widespread throughout Uganda. Availability: present year-round at major water bodies; numbers increase with the wet season as flooding creates new shallow feeding areas. Best sites: the Kazinga Channel at Queen Elizabeth NP has stilts throughout the channel; the shallows of Lake George; the Nile shallows at Murchison Falls; the margins of Lake Mburo; flooded grasslands near Kampala in the wet season. Flocking: stilts sometimes gather in loose flocks at productive feeding areas; groups of 20-50 birds feeding together in shallow water at Queen Elizabeth are a regular sight. Nesting: breeds at Uganda wetlands; a minimal scrape nest on open ground near water; pairs very vocal and aggressive when defending a nest. Ease of finding: one of Uganda’s easiest waders; the long pink legs and black-and-white plumage are visible at 100m+ in open water habitats.
What does the black-winged stilt eat?
The stilt is an active visual hunter in shallow water. Primary prey: aquatic insects and their larvae; small crustaceans; molluscs (snails); small fish; tadpoles; worms in waterlogged mud. Feeding method: wades in shallow water of 5-25cm depth and picks prey from the water surface or just below; the long bill is inserted into water with a rapid stabbing motion; it also sweeps the bill through water to catch moving invertebrates. Deeper wading: the long legs allow feeding in water where a plover would be swimming; this gives access to deeper-water prey. Competition: overlaps in habitat with other waders but the long legs separate it into a different water depth zone; it shares some habitat with the avocet and the egrets but rarely competes directly.
How aggressive is the black-winged stilt when nesting?
The black-winged stilt is remarkably aggressive in defence of its nest. Nest site: a shallow scrape on open ground near water; sometimes a floating platform of vegetation; on open sites the only defence is direct attack. Alarm calls: a loud, piercing “kik-kik-kik” is the alarm call; audible at 300m+ when a predator approaches; the call is persistent. Dive-bombing: stilts will dive-bomb approaching predators and humans; the long legs are trailed behind in flight and used to strike the intruder’s head in passing; getting close to a stilt’s nest means being dive-bombed repeatedly and noisily. Distraction display: like many ground-nesting birds, stilts perform broken-wing or distraction displays to draw predators away from the nest or chicks; they run away from the nest dragging a “broken” wing to draw attention. Community alarm: a stilt alarming puts all nearby waterbirds on alert similar to the wattled lapwing.
What other long-legged waders can be seen alongside stilts in Uganda?
Uganda’s shallow wetlands support a varied wader community. African avocet: closely related to the stilt; black-and-white with a strongly upturned bill; not as common as the stilt but present at larger wetlands; sweeps bill through water to filter invertebrates. Black-tailed godwit: a Palearctic migrant from September to April; long straight bill; orange-buff in breeding plumage. Marsh sandpiper: a smaller, long-legged sandpiper migrant; very long pale legs for its size; elegant. Wood sandpiper: the most common migrant wader at Uganda wetlands; October-April. Common greenshank: large sandpiper migrant; pale grey; long greenish legs. Uganda wader season: the wet season months and the Palearctic migration window (September-April) bring the richest wader diversity to Uganda’s wetlands; Kazinga Channel, Lake Mburo, and flooded grasslands near Kampala are the best sites.
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