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Photographed in the wetlands at Pauatahanui Inlet, near Wellington.
Of the five sub species of pied stilt, leucocephalus extends from the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Bismarck Archepelago to Australia and New Zealand. Pied stilts are more generally known as black-winged stilt overseas and breed all around the world in tropical and warm temperate climates.
The ornithologist W.R.B. Oliver says, “In my opinion the Australian and New Zealand pied stilts should together be maintained as a species distinct from the northern H. himantopus, firstly, because in the adult stage it has the hind neck black whereas in H. himantopus it is white, and, secondly, it has a black counterpart in H. novaezealandiae with which it interbreeds.”
Edgar F. Stead writes of the pied stilt; “Despite the fact that stilts are of proportions that are somewhat unusual, their movements at all times are exceedingly graceful. When walking slowly in shallow water, they raise each foot above the surface as they proceed, putting it down again very daintily, the proceeding giving the effect of a consciously elegant, if not mincing, gait. During flight, which is strong and swift, the legs trail behind.”
The call is a sharp yapping like a small dog. Foubnd throughout New Zealand
in river–beds, shores of lakes and lagoons, and marshy margins of estuaries. It breeds in all these places, the nest never being situated at any great distance from water.
They are wading birds, feeding on insects and their larvae, worms and small shellfish in shallow water.
“Stilts begin mating in August and are very noisy at this time, yapping even in the intervals of their feeding. They make a great fuss if anyone goes near their nest, flying to a height, and then dashing straight at the intruder, and giving a harsh cry as they pass close overhead and turn upwards again. Intimidation failing, they try to divert attention to themselves by simulating injury, shamming broken broken legs or wings in a most realistic manner.
“The young when hatched are covered with down, the upperparts being yellowish fawn, freely spotted with black, while the front of the neck and the under parts are almost white, and devoid of any markings.
Size 35 cm., 190 g., black and white wader with very long pink legs and fine black bill. Varibale black on crown, nape, hindneck and collar on the lower neck, black wings and back.

Pictured in the Otipua wetlands, Timaru, New Zealand.
Pukeko are found on New Zealand's main islands and in the Chatham and Kermadec Islands.
According to the Heather and Robertson Field Guide, the bird seems to have become established in New Zealand about 1000 years ago. According to Millener (1981) it invaded from Australia less than 1000 years ago. It is also assumed to have spread from Australia to New Guinea. Some assume that it became established before humans in New Zealand but all fossil occurrences are in sites younger than 400 years and there is no evidence that they were on the main islands of New Zealand before the Maori arrived (Worthy & Holdaway 1996).It may have been introduced by the ancestors of Maori. East Coast Maori say they were brought to New Zealand on the Harouta canoe which arrived about 24 generations ago. The Aotea tribe of the West Coast say the Pukeko was introduced by their ancestors in a boat called the Aotea.
In support of the belief that it is a good flyer, and may have self-introduced, a dead Pukeko was found on L'Esperance Rock, a tiny, isolated rock in the Kermadec group, more than 200 km from the nearest established population (Tennyson & Taylor 1989). This demonstrates the ability of swamphens to fly great distances over the sea.
When threatened they will often walk away from danger rather than fly. When they fly, take-offs and landings are clumsy, and short flight distances are preferred.
Pukeko look like a slimmed-down version of its close relative, the critically endangered flightless Takahe Porphyrio hochstetteri, though the Takahe ancestor arrived in New Zealand millions of years ago from Australia, long before the Pukeko did.Takahe are approximately three times heavier than Pukeko (to about 3 kg), having evolved in an environment free from humans and ground predators. Introduced predators now threaten the Takahe with extinction.

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