Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Banded Stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus)
Banded Stilt

Banded Stilt

Cladorhynchus leucocephalus

The Banded Stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus) is a striking and nomadic wader belonging to the stilt and avocet family, Recurvirostridae. It is the sole member of the genus Cladorhynchus, endemic to Australia. The species is characterized by its pied plumage and a distinctive red-brown breast band in breeding adults, which can be mottled or absent in non-breeding adults and juveniles. The eyes are a deep, dark brown, and nestlings are uniquely covered in white down.

Identification Tips

Adult Banded Stilts measure between 45–53 cm in length, with a wingspan of 55–68 cm. They possess black wings, a slender black bill twice the length of the head, and dark red-pink legs and feet. The broad chestnut band across the breast is a key identifier for breeding adults. In flight, their wings reveal a white trailing edge and a predominantly white underside with dark tips. Juveniles lack the breast band and have greyish foreheads and lores.

Habitat

Banded Stilts favor large, shallow saline or hypersaline lakes, both inland and coastal. They are also found in ephemeral salt lakes, saltworks, lagoons, salt- or claypans, and intertidal flats, occasionally venturing into brackish or freshwater environments.

Distribution

This species is predominantly found in southern Australia, with sightings from the southwest corner of Western Australia to the Lake Eyre basin and Victoria. They are highly nomadic, responding to the unpredictable climate by migrating to newly filled inland lakes after rainfall.

Behaviour

Banded Stilts are gregarious birds, often seen in groups ranging from small flocks to congregations of tens of thousands. They exhibit extreme nomadism, traveling vast distances in response to inland rainfall.

Song & Calls

The vocal repertoire includes a barking call resembling 'cow' or 'chowk,' sometimes doubled as 'chowk-uk' or 'chuk-uk.' During nesting, they engage in soft, tuneful chattering.

Breeding

Breeding is triggered by rainfall filling inland salt lakes, creating ideal conditions for large breeding colonies. Females lay three to four brown- or black-splotched whitish eggs on a scrape. If conditions allow, a second brood may be laid. Nestlings are precocial and nidifugous, leaving the nest shortly after hatching.

Similar Species

The Banded Stilt can be distinguished from the White-headed Stilt, which lacks the breast band, and the Red-necked Avocet, which has a chestnut head and neck and an upcurved bill.

Diet and Feeding

Their diet consists mainly of tiny crustaceans such as brine shrimp and fairy shrimp, as well as molluscs, insects, and occasionally small fish. They forage by walking or swimming in shallow waters, employing various techniques to capture their prey.

Conservation status

The Banded Stilt is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a large range and fluctuating population. However, it is listed as Vulnerable under the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 due to predation threats, particularly from silver gulls. Conservation efforts include managing silver gull predation at breeding sites.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Banded Stilts on Birda

Photos

More Stilts, Avocets

A photo of a Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) , male

Black-winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Marlster24
Very Wholesome App
Joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😄
Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😃
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Unbridled Discoveries
Great app for bird lovers
I love this app! It’s a wonderful way to track birding sessions, and also connect you with fellow birders. I also really like the unidentified bird section, it’s a great community tool to help figure out what a never-before-seen bird is!
Alice J
Awesome Birding Community
I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!
D3Nature
Great app for learning Birds
I’ve been using the app for a couple of months and love it....Someone said it’s like a real life Pokémon Go for birds. They’re not far off! It’s something that the family can do that gets you out and about. Well worth downloading no matter your age.
Erna M
I really like Birda
I really like Birda. I also use other birding apps and have Birda with E-bird going at the same time.
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.