BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Himantopus mexicanus
Black-necked Stilt
| Scientific Name: | Himantopus mexicanus |
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| English Name: | Black-necked Stilt |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S1B |
| Date Status Assigned: | April 27, 2023 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | April 27, 2023 |
| Reasons: | Despite a large range extent, the number of birds breeding in BC in any given year is very small and unpredictable in terms of location. The number of bird in BC is increasing. The best known site for the species in the province is threatened as it is the site of a landfill operation. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | F = 20,000-200,000 square km |
| Range Extent Estimate (km2): | 77229 square km |
| Range Extent Comments: | Likely breeds in the province in most years, but breeding sites are unpredictable and are only used for one (or rarely two or three years). There are confirmed breeding records from the Saanich Peninsula in the west to Elizabeth Lake, Cranbrook in the east north to Loch Lomond, near 70 Mile House in the north. Birds have been seen as far north as Prince George. |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | U = Unknown |
| Area of Occupancy Comments: | Breeding likely occurs in the province every year, but at unpredictable locations. No breeding site has been used consistently for more than 3 years. |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | A = 1 - 5 |
| Comments: | Difficult to assign a value since only two sites have been used for several years in a row, and neither has had recent breeding. At the same time the number of birds seen each year has been steadily increasing. As the species continues to move north in the province into areas with poorer coverage by birders, there is increasing likelihood of breeding sites going undocumented in central BC each year. |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Comments: | The T'Kumlups marsh site near Kamloops apparently has good viability, although it is not used consistently by the stilts. The Alki Lake site near Kelowna is the best known site in BC, but is threatened by the expanding Kelowna Landfill and has significant water quality and disturbance issues. |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | C = 4 - 12 |
| Comments: | T'Kumlups Marsh is a wetland managed and protected by the City of Kamloops. Many locations where Black-necked Stilts show up from time to time are protected. Sites such as T'Kumlups Marsh and Elizabeth Lake, Cranbrook are wetlands protected by municipal governments, and have less security than sites protected by provincial or federal governments. |
| Population Size: | AB = 1 - 250 individuals |
| Comments: | Multiple flocks of more than a dozen are becoming more common on spring migration and the largest flock recorded in the province was 81 birds near Creston in 2021 (https://ebird.org/checklist/S86381821). If birds recorded on spring migration in southern British Columbia disperse and breed further north in the province the total breeding population would likely be 30 pairs or more at this time (2023), if they are returning further south to breed then the number is likely much less, possibly as low as a single pair some years. |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Comments: | The Black-necked Stilt breed in areas near to shallow wetlands and use those areas for feeding and is therefore vulnerable to changes in water quality and quantity at their breeding sites (Robinson et al. 2020). The site at Alki Lake, Kelowna, one of the most reliable in the province for this species is being infilled with garbage (Gyug and Weir 2017). Alkaline wetlands are often in areas used for grazing cattle and nest trampling is a threat. The species is very attractive and disturbance by birders and photographers could be an issue. Despite these potential threats, the population summering in British Columbia is increasing and is anticipated to continue to do so. |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | I = Increase of >25% |
| Comments: |
Generation time is listed as 5.599 years (Bird et al. 2020) and the 3 generation time for short term trend is therefore 16.797 years. The species is too sparsely distributed in the province to be surveyed by the Breeding Bird Survey. Since the first report of this species in the province in 1971, there are records in the 1980's and 1990's and records every year since the 2000's. Successful breeding recorded in some years from 2002 to 2020. Maximum flock size reported each year has been increasing steadily with the largest flock on migration being 81 birds in 2021 (https://ebird.org/checklist/S86381821). Records for British Columbia coincide with a northward range expansion that has been noted in the northern US (Robinson et al. 2020) and Canada (Fink et al. 2021). A warming climate trend coupled with drought in the western United States is suspected to have contributed to this range expansion. Since the first provincial record in the 1971, the Black-necked Stilt has increased and is now seen annually in British Columbia, especially in migration in late April and May. There were 26 records from 1971-1988 in various parts of BC and was considered a rare vagrant by Campbell et al. (1990). Sites with breeding have been documented on Vancouver Island, the Vancouver area, Okanagan Valley, Cariboo, and the Kootenays. The first breeding record was from Kamloops (T'Kumlups Marsh) in 2002; four young were fledged. In 2004, a pair fledged 3 young at this same marsh (R. Howie pers. comm.) and successful breeding occurred in 2005 (Tomlinson 2005). They were recorded annually in spring in the Okanagan in small numbers from 1998?2004 with the first unsuccessful nesting attempt at Alki Lake in 2004 (Tomlinson 2005). They were recorded annually for short periods in the spring at Alki Lake, Kelowna from 2007?2013 except in 2011 when none were recorded. One pair of stilts nested successfully at Alki Lake in Kelowna in 2014, and two pairs appeared to nest successfully in 2015 (Gyug and Weir 2017). The BC Breeding Atlas (Burger 2015) yielded breeding evidence from three locations. Breeding was confirmed only on the Saanich Peninsula, where two pairs nested successfully in 2012, fledging three and four chicks each. Probable breeding was recorded in the Southern Rocky Mountain Trench (a pair at Elizabeth Lake in 2008 and again in 2012), and possible breeding was recorded in the Chilcotin (one bird in suitable breeding habitat). There was confirmed breeding in 2020 at Loch Lomond north of 70 Mille House (https://ebird.org/checklist/S71978567). |
| Long-Term Trend: | I = Increase of >25% |
| Comments: | Documented increase in frequency of records and increases in flock sizes on migration. |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | B=Moderately vulnerable |
| Comments: | Restricted to breeding sites where shallow wetlands are available. |
| Environmental Specificity: | A=Very narrow. Specialist or community with key requirements scarce. |
| Comments: | Highly dependent on shallow, freshwater or alkaline wetlands. |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Fraser, D.F. (2023), S.M. Beauchesne and J.M. Cooper (2005) |
| Date: | January 23, 2023 |
| References | |
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Gyug, L.W. and J.T. Weir 2017. American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt breeding status and population trends at Kelowna, British Columbia, 1997-2015. British Columbia Birds 27:2-12 |
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Bird, J., R. Martin, H.R. Akçakaya, et al. 2020. Generation lengths of the world?s birds and their implications for extinction risk. Conservation Biology 34:1252?1261.
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Burger, A.E. 2015c. Black-necked Stilt in Davidson, P.J.A., R.J. Cannings, A.R. Couturier, D. Lepage, and C.M. Di Corrado (eds.). The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of British Columbia, 2008-2012. Bird Studies Canada. Delta, B.C.
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Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I. McTaggart-Cowan, et al. 1990b. The Birds of British Columbia Vol. 2: Nonpasserines: Diurnal Birds of Prey through Woodpeckers. Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, BC.
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Fink, D., T. Auer, A. Johnston, et al. 2021. eBird Status and Trends, Data Version: 2020; Released: 2021. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. https://doi.org/10.2173/ebirdst.2020
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Robinson, J. A., J. M. Reed, J. P. Skorupa,et al. 2020. Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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Tomlinson, R. 2005. Unsuccessful nesting attempt of Black-necked Stilt in British Columbia. Wildlife Afield 2(1):19
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2023. Conservation Status Report: Himantopus mexicanus. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 10, 2026).