Black-necked Stilts at Leona Turnbull Birding Center, Texas
The Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) is one of North America’s most striking shorebirds. This stunning photo captures two individuals wading at Leona Turnbull Birding Center in Texas. Note the bold, contrasting black-and-white plumage — a reliable field identification mark. Adults show glossy black upperparts and bright white underparts. The foreground bird shows browner tones, typical of a female or immature individual. Both birds display the species’ signature bubblegum-pink legs, which are extraordinarily long in comparison to their body size. Black-necked Stilts favor shallow wetlands, mudflats, and flooded fields across the southern United States. Leona Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas, Texas, is a premier birding hotspot for shorebird species like this. The site consistently attracts stilts year-round, making it ideal for Texas birding tours.
