This wader has a striking appearance with contrasting black-and-white plumage and a long, thin, tweezer-like beak. However, its most notable feature is its exceptionally long, carrot-colored, stilt-like legs. The bird holds the record among avian species for the highest leg-to-body length ratio.
When it settles onto its nest to incubate eggs, the extreme leg length seems to pose a challenge. The bird can be seen stepping in place for quite some time, amusingly attempting to fold its long limbs. Despite this awkwardness, these legs allow the bird to wade deep into the water to forage for the small invertebrates that make up its diet.
Black-winged stilts nest in the Kuialnytskyi National Nature Park on accumulative islands and spits. This rare species is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
