Taxonomia
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Birds
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Recurvirostridae
Genus: Himantopus
Species: Himantopus himantopus
Estado de Conservação da Espécie em Portugal e no Mundo
Portugal
Mundo
Características e
Hábitos
In terms of size, it has a length of 35 to 40 cm and a wingspan of 67 to 83 cm. Its most notable characteristics are its long red legs, which are also stretched out during flight, its straight and long black beak, and its white plumage on the body and black on the wings. In the female, the plumage is brownish. It resembles a miniature stork.
It feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, occasionally also tadpoles, small fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. It nests by making holes in vegetation lined with plants. Around 4 eggs are laid. Incubation is carried out by both members of the pair and lasts about 24 days.
Habitat e Distribuição
It is a common resident bird, found in Portugal throughout the year, in parts of the Alentejo, Algarve, Tagus River and Aveiro estuary. It is also, and mainly, a summer bird, being found in Portugal in spring and summer, in areas relatively close to those where it is resident, but expanding its range slightly, and specifically moving a little further north along the coast. It prefers humid coastal habitats that are not subject to tidal regimes, such as salt marshes, ponds and lagoons; it can also occasionally be seen in weirs and marshes. The area of the country where this species is most observed is the Tagus estuary; however, it is also sighted in the Aveiro estuary, the Mondego and Sado estuaries, and also in the Algarve. It nests in any of the areas it frequents.
Todas as Fotografias Realizadas
