Black-Necked Stilt
Black-Necked Stilt
$1,100A striking Black-Necked Stilt carved from basswood and painted with acrylics. Features distinctive long red-orange legs, crisp black and white plumage with iridescent green-black upperparts, and glass eyes. The bird is mounted on a black lacquer oval base with hand-made sand patches and natural grass elements creating a realistic shoreline habitat.
Details
- Dimensions
- 11" × 4.50" × 9.75"
- Materials
- Basswood, acrylic paint, glass eyes, black lacquer base
- Category
- shorebird
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The Black-Necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
Identification
The Black-Necked Stilt is one of the most striking shorebirds in North America. Adults stand 13–15 inches tall on the longest legs, relative to body size, of any bird in the world — long, thin, and a vivid pink to red-orange. Plumage is sharply contrasted: glossy black above (with iridescent green-black highlights in good light) and clean white below. The bill is long, thin, needle-straight, and entirely black. A distinctive white spot above and behind the eye is one of the easiest field marks. Males and females look similar; juveniles are duller with brownish backs.
Range & Migration
Breeds from the western and southern United States south through Central America, the Caribbean, and into northern South America. In the eastern US, populations expanded northward in recent decades — they're now regular breeders in coastal New York, New Jersey, and even southern New England. Migrates to coastal areas and Mexico for winter.
Habitat
Shallow saline and freshwater wetlands, salt marshes, mudflats, evaporation ponds, and flooded fields. Often found alongside American Avocets in mixed feeding flocks. Nests in loose colonies on bare ground near water.
Conservation Status
Population is currently stable and even expanding in the eastern US, though local populations remain sensitive to wetland drainage and disturbance. Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Carver's Notes
The proportions on a stilt are deceptively difficult — the legs are so long that you have to fight every instinct to shorten them. I rough-cut this one with the legs intentionally a hair longer than the reference photos suggested, then the eye fooled me into thinking they were too long until I checked measurements. Stilts also have an almost rubbery posture: the legs aren't straight columns, they angle slightly back at the tibiotarsal joint when the bird is at rest. Getting that subtle bend is what makes the carving look alive instead of stiff. The black-and-white plumage seems like it should be straightforward to paint, but the iridescent green-black in the upperparts is the difference between a folk-art piece and a fine-art one.
— Edward H. Legg
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Browse available carvings on Etsy. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, hand carved and painted by Edward H. Legg.
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5.0 ★ Shop Rating — 11 Years