American Oystercatcher

American Oystercatcher

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Conservation Status
7. Other Names

A large, boldly-patterned bird, the American Oystercatcher is conspicuous along ocean shores and salt marshes. True to its name, it is specialized in feeding on bivalves (oysters, clams, and mussels) and uses its brightly colored bill to get at them.

Cool Facts

• Two races of American Oystercatcher breed in North America: the eastern race along the Atlantic coast, and a second race along the Pacific coast from northwestern Baja California southward. North of Baja California, the Black Oysercatcher takes over.

Description

• Size: 40-44 cm (16-17 in)
• Weight: 400-700 g (14.12-24.71 ounces)

• Large shorebird.
• Black head.
• Large red bill.
• Back brown.
• Underside white.
• Stout legs, dull pink.
• Bold white stripe in wings and white rump visible in flight.

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Immature

Similar to adult, but bill duller and back with scaly light edges to feathers.

Similar Species

• Black Skimmer found in similar habitats and has a large red bill, but it has tiny legs, long wings, an all black back, and a black tip to its oddly shaped bill.

Sound

Loud whistled "wheeps."

Range

Range Map

© 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

About the map

Summer Range

Breeds Along Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Massachusetts to southern Mexico, and scattered locations in the Caribbean. Resident on Pacific Coast from Baja California southward to South America.

Winter Range

Winters from New Jersey southward.

Conservation Status

Development and egg collectors may have been responsible for the decline of the American Oystercatcher along the Atlantic coast in the 19th century. Currently it is locally common in most areas, but consided of special concern in others.

Other Names

L'Huîtrier-pie, L'Huîtrier d'Amérique (French)
Ostrero (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Nol, E. and R. C. Humphrey. 1994. American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus). In The Birds of North America, No. 82 (A. Poole and F.Gill,Eds.). Philadelphia:The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D. C.: The American Ornithologists' Union.