About the Black Stilt
The black stilt or kakī (Māori), is a wading bird found in New Zealand. It is one of the world's rarest birds, with 169 adults surviving in the wild as of May 2020. Adult kakī have distinctive black plumage, long pink legs, and a long thin black bill. Black stilts largely breed in the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island, and are threatened by introduced feral cats, ferrets, and hedgehogs as well as habitat degradation from hydroelectric dams, agriculture, and invasive weeds.
Source: Wikipedia
Taxonomy & Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Charadriiformes |
| Family | Stilts and Avocets (Recurvirostridae) |
| Species | Himantopus novaezelandiae |
| Species Codes | blasti1, BLST |
Frequently Asked Questions
What family does the Black Stilt belong to?
The Black Stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae) belongs to the Stilts and Avocets family (Recurvirostridae), in the order Charadriiformes.
How can I identify the Black Stilt?
The black stilt or kakī (Māori), is a wading bird found in New Zealand. It is one of the world's rarest birds, with 169 adults surviving in the wild as of May 2020. Adult kakī have distinctive black plumage, long pink legs, and a long thin black bill. Black stilts largely breed in the Mackenzie Basi...
Where can I report a Black Stilt sighting?
You can log sightings of Black Stilt on eBird (ebird.org) using species code blasti1, or on iNaturalist.
Related Species in Stilts and Avocets 9 species
More Birds in Order Charadriiformes
Quick Stats
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