BANDED STILT Cladorhynchus leucocephalus

An enigmatic wader of Australia which breeds in huge colonies in response to rain in the interior, filling salt lakes which are otherwise dry for years. When this happens birds can be very difficult to find around the coast, thankfully one or two sites hold birds almost permanently, such as Rottnest Island, where these shots were taken. It is this behaviour that probably results in its being placed in its own genus.

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