{"id":4886,"date":"2012-04-28T06:58:24","date_gmt":"2012-04-28T12:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=4886"},"modified":"2025-08-28T05:26:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T10:26:42","slug":"black-necked-stilts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/04\/28\/black-necked-stilts\/","title":{"rendered":"Black-necked Stilts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Black-neckedBlack-necked Stilt with a tiny water droplet – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/2500, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Black-necked Stilts have returned from their wintering grounds to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> and other locations in Utah. Black-necked Stilts are black and white shorebirds with long pink to reddish legs, thin black bills and lovely red eyes.<\/p>\n

I photographed this male Stilt as he fed in front of me on April 16th in a marshy area on the auto tour route. Note the glossy black back with a slight iridescence.<\/p>\n

\"Black-neckedBlack-necked Stilt in shallow water – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/2500, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 314mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Female Black-necked Stilts have browner backs than the males as shown in the image above.<\/p>\n

Black-necked Stilts can live up to 19 years, their diet consists of small fish, frogs, clams, worms, flies, shrimp, tadpoles and snails. They breed around marshes, shallow ponds, lakes and man made water areas. Black-necked Stilts are social birds and they are often seen in flocks of 25 or more.<\/p>\n

Currently their status is secure but increased use of pesticides and loss of wetlands could cause this species to decline.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Black-necked Stilt photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Black-necked Stilts have returned from their wintering grounds to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and other locations in Utah. Black-necked Stilts are black and white shorebirds with long pink to reddish legs, thin black bills and lovely red eyes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":153593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[124,27,1463,1148,26],"tags":[215,1464,4040,4070,4370,4062,274,3951],"class_list":["post-4886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-black-necked-stilts","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","tag-bird-id","tag-black-necked-stilt","tag-feeding","tag-female","tag-himantopus-mexicanus","tag-male","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-stilts"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-5249.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-1gO","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":153580,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/08\/28\/young-black-necked-stilt-portrait\/","url_meta":{"origin":4886,"position":0},"title":"Young Black-necked Stilt Portrait","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It was exactly three years ago today when I took this young Black-necked Stilt portrait on the marshes of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Black-necked Stilt portrait in Utah, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-young-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8908.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-young-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8908.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-necked Stilt male at Bear River MBR, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-5277.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-5277.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-5277.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-5277.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/black-necked-stilt-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-8772.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/black-necked-stilt-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-8772.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/black-necked-stilt-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-8772.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/black-necked-stilt-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-8772.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6235,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/10\/01\/adult-black-necked-stilt\/","url_meta":{"origin":4886,"position":3},"title":"Adult Black-necked Stilt","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 1, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a simple image of a male Black-necked Stilt taken earlier this year at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge. Very graceful birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Black-necked Stilt feeding at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/black-necked-stilt-feeding-mia-mcpherson-5272.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/black-necked-stilt-feeding-mia-mcpherson-5272.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/black-necked-stilt-feeding-mia-mcpherson-5272.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Migratory Bird Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I had an opportunity to photograph this juvenile Black-necked Stilt as it rested along the auto tour route at the refuge.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Resting juvenile Black-necked Stilt at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/black-necked-stilt-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1373.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/black-necked-stilt-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1373.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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