Black Stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae)

Adults are monogamous and pairs generally stay together for life (2). The breeding season peaks in October and both the male and female build the nest that consists of a depression in the ground lined with grass, twigs and waterweeds (3). The pair take it in turns to incubate the four eggs, and care for the chicks (2). Black stilts use their slender beaks to prize prey from underneath stones and to skim through muddy water (4). They feed mainly on aquatic invertebrates, small fish and molluscs (2).

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