Big birds, small birds, big legs alike

Ended up missing last week's contest, but this week I won't let it happen; and we have a fun theme for this week's SMAP: Long-legged birds!

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I can imagine most of us will immediatly think of the big birds, and the big legs that come along... right?

^{White stork - Ciconia ciconia}

This one was even letting her legs hang loose, almost as she guessed one day a leg contest would come by our community!

But... what about the little ones? Those with a small body, but huge legs (at least related to their body size)? Several aquatic species fit the description, since long legs are essential for the way they feed, and where they do it. And among those, there's one that definitely stands out:

^{Black-winged stilt - Himantopus himantopus}

In portuguese, the name of these birds is Pernilongo, which literally translates to "long leg"... and it's easy to see why!

They almost seem disproportionate! But again, mother nature knows what she's doing: those long legs come in handy while they're scouting the shallow waters, searching for food; and the fact their legs are so big, it allows them to scout deeper waters than most other birds that compete for the same type of food (which is mostly insects, in this case).

With this body shape, they're easy to recognise, even from a distance; and the colour pattern is very typical as well: black wings, white body. Easy to remember!

All the photos here are probably from females, since males have some dark in the back of the head; I say probably because the head colours tend to vary quite a bit in this species, which can lead to some confusion when trying to distinguish sexes.

Let's finish with another long legged bird, this one also a very typical one. Can you recognise them through this photo?

I know, I know, the angle isn't the best. But in the next one you'll have no doubts for sure, even without reading the subtitle.

^{Greater flamingo - Phoenicopterus roseus}

These cute and unmistakable birds were hanging around with the stilts on the same place, and left as I was getting closer, and the golden hour was approaching; great way to finish the day, with sightings like this!

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Have a great week everyone!

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