Black-winged Stilt
Black-winged StiltBlack-winged StiltBlack-winged StiltBlack-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Lake Nakuru National Park
545 Verified sightings at Lake Nakuru National Park From 2019 to 2026
24,974 Verified sightings across all 91 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Black-winged Stilt

The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a widely distributed, very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family Recurvirostridae. Its scientific name, Himantopus himantopus, is sometimes used to generalize a single, almost cosmopolitan species. Alternatively, it is restricted to the form that is widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa, which equals the nominate group of H. himantopus sensu lato. Meanwhile, the black-necked (H. mexicanus) and white-backed stilts (H. melanurus) both inhabit the Americas; the pied stilt (H. leucocephalus) ranges from Australia and New Zealand. Today, most sources accept between one and four actual species.

The black-winged stilt was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the plovers in the genus Charadrius and coined the binomial name Charadrius himantopus. He specified the type locality as southern Europe. The taxonomic name Himantopus comes from Greek, meaning "strap-foot" or "thong-foot". The black-winged stilt is now one of five species placed in the genus Himantopus that was introduced by the French naturalist Mathurin Jacques Brisson... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Lake Nakuru National Park

Pied Avocet
LC

Pied Avocet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Recurvirostra avosetta

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Blacksmith Lapwing
LC

Blacksmith Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus armatus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Grey-hooded Gull

Grey-hooded Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Gull-billed Tern
LC

Gull-billed Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gelochelidon nilotica

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Spur-winged Lapwing
LC

Spur-winged Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus spinosus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Common Sandpiper
LC

Common Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actitis hypoleucos

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Common Greenshank
LC

Common Greenshank

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa nebularia

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Crowned Lapwing
LC

Crowned Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus coronatus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Little Stint
LC

Little Stint

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris minuta

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Whiskered Tern
LC

Whiskered Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias hybrida

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Ruff
LC

Ruff

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calidris pugnax

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Wood Sandpiper
LC

Wood Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa glareola

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~70%
2 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
3 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~60%
4 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
5 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~60%
6 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~60%
7 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~60%
8 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~60%
9 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
10 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~50%
11 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~50%
12 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
13 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~50%
14 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~40%
15 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~40%
16 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~40%
17 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
18 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~30%
19 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
20 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
21 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~30%
22 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~30%
23 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~30%
24 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
25 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
26 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
27 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
28 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
29 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
30 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
31 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
32 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
33 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
34 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
35 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
36 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
37 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
38 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
39 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
40 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
41 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
42 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~10%
43 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
44 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
45 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
46 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~10%
47 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
48 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
49 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
50 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
51 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
52 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
53 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
54 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
55 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
<5%
56 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
57 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
58 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
59 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
60 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
61 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
62 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
63 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
64 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
65 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
66 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
67 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
68 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
69 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
70 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
71 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
72 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
Insufficient data
73 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
74 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
75 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
76 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
77 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
78 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
Insufficient data
79 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
80 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
81 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
Insufficient data
82 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
Insufficient data
83 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
84 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
85 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
86 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
87 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
Insufficient data
88 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
89 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Insufficient data
90 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
91 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Black-winged Stilt in Lake Nakuru National Park?

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black-winged Stilt sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park, based on 545 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Black-winged Stilt in Lake Nakuru National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Black-winged Stilt in Lake Nakuru National Park in our monthly data.

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