Group of black- winged stilts in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

From the archive record

The Black-winged Stilt or Common Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family. Adults are 33--36 cm long. They have long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. Males have a black back, often with greenish gloss. Females' backs have a brown hue, contrasting with the black remiges. In the populations that have the top of the head normally white at least in winter, females tend to have less black on head and neck all year round, while males often have much black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually get all-white heads in winter. This footage is part of the professionally-shot stock footage