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.
