Banded stilt
| Banded stilt | |
|---|---|
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| Banded stilts, Rottnest Island |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Recurvirostridae |
| Genus: |
Cladorhynchus G.R. Gray, 1840 |
| Species: | C. leucocephalus |
| Binomial name | |
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Cladorhynchus leucocephalus (Vieillot, 1816) |
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| Banded stilt natural range | |
| Synonyms | |
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Recurvirostra leucocephala Vieillot |
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Recurvirostra leucocephala Vieillot
Recurvirostra orientalis Cuvier, 1816
Leptorhynchus pectoralis Du Bus, 1835
Himantopus palmatus Gould
Cladorhynchus australis Lawson
Cladorhynchus leucocephalus rottnesti Mathews
Xiphidiorhynchus pectoralis Ludwig Reichenbach, 1845
The banded stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus) is a nomadic wader of the stilt and avocet family Recurvirostridae native to Australia. It belongs to the monotypic genus Cladorhynchus. It gets its name from the red-brown breast band found on breeding adults, though this is mottled or entirely absent in non-breeding adults and juveniles. Its remaining plumage is pied and the eyes are dark brown. Nestling banded stilts have white down, unlike any other species of wader.
Breeding is triggered by the filling of inland salt lakes by rainfall, creating large shallow lakes rich in tiny shrimp on which the birds feed. Banded stilts migrate to these lakes in large numbers and assemble in large breeding colonies. The female lays three to four brown- or black-splotched whitish eggs on a scrape. If conditions are favourable, a second brood might be laid, though if the lakes dry up prematurely the breeding colonies may be abandoned.
The banded stilt is considered to be a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Under the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, however, this bird is considered to be Vulnerable. This is due to the predation of it by silver gulls, which are considered to be a serious threat. Black falcons and wedge-tailed eagles are also predators, taking the banded stilt and its young.
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Wikipedia