This article is about the type of bird. For the poles or walking supports, see stilts.

Stilts are waders in the same bird family as the avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates. They have extremely long legs, hence the group name, and long thin bills. Stilts typically feed on aquatic insects and other small creatures and nest on the ground surface in loose colonies.

Species recognised in Handbook of Birds of the World are:

• Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
• Black Stilt Himantopus novaezelandiae
• Banded Stilt Cladorhynchus leucocephalus

ITIS further recognises:

• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• White backed Stilt Himantopus melanurus

while others regard these as races of H. himantopus, and also place Banded Stilt in the Himantopus genus.

recurvirostridae