Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus

I always doubt whether these birds are really found in nature rather than a toy store. Aren't those implausible legs clearly made of plastic? Males have black backs, while females show some brown.

The next four birds shown are juveniles with adult feathering mostly established. The two in the four pictures at the bottom are younger, still with a lot of down.

The one on the left has down on the breast and belly, but mostly adult feathering on the upperparts. Be sure to check out the still-younger almost all-downy bird in the three-picture pratfall sequence below.