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23 February 2016

Well marked male Black-winged Stilt - Jubail

Whilst birdwatching a wetland area in Jubail I found a very well-marked male Black-winged Stilt. The bird had extensive black markings on the head making it look superficially like an American subspecies Black-necked Stilt. The bird was significantly different to all other Black-winged Stilts present but a drawing in Handbook of birds of the World (HBW) shows and male variant Black-winged Stilt looking very similar to the bird I saw. Black-winged Stilt is a common passage migrants and occasional breeder in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia with passage birds increasing the numbers in March as they combine with wintering birds. Elsewhere in the Kingdom they are also common passage migrants with smaller numbers wintering around all coasts.
Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt