The Black-necked Stilt Cloacal Kiss

[Marina Scarr]

Spent much of last April concentrating on the Black-necked Stilts and their mating behavior. At the peak, we counted 34 stilts one evening in the pond. There was so much activity, it was tough to concentrate on 1 or 2 pairs.

During the mating ritual, the female assumes a submissive position (by lowering her head and neck) as the male begins posturing and half circling her from behind. They mutually agitate the water with their beaks, which is why you see the remnants of bubbles surrounding them. This can last a couple of minutes after which the male hops onto the female's back, fulling extending his wings. Once he gains his balance, he slowly lowers his wings and his body, positioning himself for the "cloacal kiss." This image was captured near the end of the mating session at the moment the pair touched cloacae and the transfer of sperm occurred. (The cloaca serve as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive and urinary tracts in birds, reptiles, amphibians and most fish. The cloaca has an opening for expelling its contents, and it serves as a depository for sperm in females.) When the females tail is pushed to the side and the male is pressed up against her at a slight angle as depicted here, the actual transfer is occurring. The finale of the ritual is the most stunning as they strut away together with their beaks crossed. You can see here that their beaks are nearly crossed as they are near dismount.

I realize I have not provided room for the birds' virtual legs, but the reflection is unattractive and it seemed important to showcase their eyes.

Canon 1D4, Canon 500L
F7.1, 1/2000sec, ISO 640, manual mode
Feisol tripod, Jobu head
Sitting on the ground

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful comments and critiques.

[keith mitchell]

Marina I like the action you have caught and your interesting description of the mating ritual which is always going to be difficult with those long gangling legs ,picture does look a little dark on my gear but do understand it can be difficult with blacks and white and of course these old eyes of mine.Very well caught and thanks for showing it to us.

Keith.

[christopher galeski]

very nice Marina,love the colors in the BG,the look on the males face,magic.TFS.

[Raybel Robles]

Nice image Marina, I have tried a few times myself getting photos of the Stilts "in action" but always end up with an awkward position lol. You caught them well here, I would just maybe tone down the white on the bellies just a little bit. Other than that this is great.

[arash_hazeghi]

what an intimate interaction Marina! love the pose for both. Wonder if you can recover more detail in the whites....

excellent frame

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Marina, great 'action' captured here, and we have a great view of how the male holds onto his partner. Well done for succeeding in separating these two from a whole bunch of them, and I like their red eyes.

Our Black Winged Stilts are very similar, and also have large red eyes. Thanks for the informative intro.

[Lorant Voros]

Great image of mating stilts. Love the eyes of both birds and the intense grab of the male. I can see why you opted not to see the virtual legs. I wish it was mine. Very nice one, Marina.

[David Salem]

Great looking frame Marina. I have some similar images of these guys and I crack up at how the male gets on the female with those long gangly legs. The dismount is just as funny. Nice details and exposure too. Well done

[annmpacheco]

Just back from my Spring migration shoot, and when i saw your image last week i wanted you to know how wonderful it is! Love it Marina, pose (of course!) lighting, red eyes and the gorgeous BG, love is in the air!!!