Black-winged Stilts successfully breed in Malta for second time

Six Black-winged Stilts have successfully bred in Malta. Although, it was not the first time that the birds, known as Fras-Servjent in Maltese, were sighted in Malta, the long-legged wader has only successfully bred in Malta one time before, in 2011 in Ghadira.

Three pairs of Black-winged Stilts were at the Ghadira nature reserve where three nests are under incubation.

These birds pick up their food from sand or water and they mainly eat insects and crustaceans. The nest site is a bare spot on the ground near water. These birds often nest in small groups, sometimes with avocets.

It is thought that since the perimeter of the reserve was protected, helped the birds breed in Malta. Other factors which might have encouraged the birds to breed in Malta are the illegality of hunting on sea and the decrease of indiscriminate hunting.

Generally singles or small flocks are seen at the BirdLife Malta reserves in  Ghadira, Simar and Salina. Larger flocks are also sometimes seen in the reserves or flying near the coast.

In Spring 2008 a pair of Black-winged Stilts was seen copulating and carrying out breeding displays at the Ghadira Nature reserve but it did not breed.

Commonly found in  Western Europe, the Mediterranean and parts of Asia, Black-winged Stilt populations migrate south to Africa in winter.

Their head and neck vary from all-white to white with all-black cap and hindneck, usually with a white band across upper back.

Some populations are migratory and move to the ocean coasts in winter; those in warmer regions are generally resident or short-range vagrants.

In Europe, the Black-winged Stilt is a regular spring overshoot vagrant north of its normal range, occasionally remaining to breed in northern European countries, for example in Britain in 1987.