Birdland

Life On Stilts

Audubon has a marvelous description of this striking bird: “Everything about the Black-necked Stilt seems delicate – from its incredibly thin stilt-legs to its slim wings and its needle-like bill – yet it manages to thrive on the sun-baked flats around shallow lakes, some of them in searing climates.” These black-and-white birds have very long, thin red legs. In fact, they have the second-longest legs in proportion to their bodies of any bird, exceeded only by flamingos. This Black-necked Stilt was photographed by Park Hill resident Mark Silverstein.