From Opus

Photo by Leslie
Location: San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California

Himantopus mexicanus

[edit] Identification

• White underparts
• Black wings and back
• White tail with some grey banding
• Black cap
• Small white spot above eye
• Long pink legs
• Long thin black bill

Males - greenish gloss to back and wings, particularly in breeding season
Females - tinged brown.

[edit] Distribution

U.S. to southern Peru and Brazil; Hawaiian Islands.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies¹

• H. m. mexicanus - W and s US to e Ecuador, sw Peru and ne Brazil; West Indies
• H. m. knudseni - Hawaiian Islands

[edit] Habitat

Photo by Neil
Orlando, Florida, USA

Wetlands and coastlines, up to 2500m.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, arthropods, molluscs, small fish and tadpoles.

[edit] Breeding

They nest on mudflats; 3-5 eggs are laid, and are incubated by both sexes for 22-26 days. The young fledge after about 28 days.

[edit] References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2008. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
2. Wikipedia

[edit] External Links