| Oystercatchers | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||
| H. bachmani H. palliatus H. ostralegus H. meadewaldoi H. moquini H. unicolor H. leucopodus H. fuliginosus H. chathamensis H. ater |
The Oystercatchers are a group of waders in the family Haematopodidae . They are large obvious and noisy plover-like birds, with strong flattened bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.
They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions. They are all-black, black and white or brown and white in appearance.
Their eggs are laid in a shallow scrape on shingle.
The species are
- Western Black Oystercatcher[?] H. bachmani
- American Pied Oystercatcher[?] H. palliatus
- Common Pied Oystercatcher[?] H. ostralegus
- Canarian Black Oystercatcher[?] H. meadewaldoi
- African Black Oystercatcher[?] H. moquini
- Variable Oystercatcher[?] H. unicolor
- Magellanic Oystercatcher[?] H. leucopodus
- Sooty Oystercatcher[?] H. fuliginosus
- Blackish Oystercatcher[?] H. ater
- Chatham Islands Oystercatcher[?] H. chathamensis