 Breeding evidence |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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13.0 (7.65 - 19.1)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Black-necked Stilts appear to be cementing their foothold in the province, with sightings in 91 squares and breeding confirmed in 23 (25%) of those squares. More often seen than heard, they were detected on only nine point counts, putting them below the threshold needed for the mapping models. Black-necked Stilts were observed primarily in the western half of the province, south of the boreal forest, as far east as Defoe near the Quill Lakes. Observations were somewhat clustered in two areas, one from the vicinity of Highway 1 north to the South Saskatchewan River, and the around the Saskatoon, Kerrobert, and North Battleford areas.
Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
This exotic-looking bird with bubblegum-pink legs and stark black and white plumage enjoys a wide breeding range that extends from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the western and extreme southeastern US, south through Central America and the Caribbean to southern South America. During winter, it withdraws from the northern and southern limits of its range.
Like its close relative the American Avocet, the Black-necked Stilt is found on saline lakes and shallow, ephemeral wetlands, preferring the fresher parts with emergent vegetation (Robinson et al. 1999).
Stilt once extended only as far north as northern Utah (AOU 1983). However, in 1977 it staged its first major incursion north, breeding in several areas of Montana (Skaar 1980) and at Beaverhill Lake, AB (Dekker et al. 1979). A decade later it first nested in Saskatchewan. By the beginning of the 21st century it was of annual occurrence, and by 2016 had nested almost 40 times. All records are from the southwest and south-central portions of the province, extending as far north as Jackfish Lake, Blaine Lake, Prince Albert, and Yorkton. About 80 records are from the Francis-Reed-Chaplin-Old Wives Lakes area, perhaps the result of abundant suitable habitat in the region as well as frequent visits by birders travelling the Trans-Canada Hwy.
Original text by Alan R. Smith. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Black-necked Stilt in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Black-necked Stilt in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=BNST&lang=en [14 Nov 2025]
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