Page 166 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WADERS
Order Charadriiformes Family Haematopodidae Species Haematopus ostralegus
Oystercatcher red eye

dark-
tipped
long, broad bill
white wingbar
bulky, striking
black and white
body
vivid orange-
red bill IMMATURE
white “V”
on back
white collar
ADULT
(SUMMER)
dark-
IN FLIGHT tipped bill

short, pale
pink legs
ADULT
(SUMMER) ADULT (WINTER)

he dazzlingly patterned Oystercatcher is an
Textraordinarily distinctive bird in Europe, no FLIGHT: fast, direct, on rapid wingbeats; flies into
other bird forming such tight-packed, often standing flocks, landing “on the run”.
enormous, noisy flocks. Oystercatchers tend to “take
over” and dominate whole estuaries with their
clamorous presence. In some places, they have come
into conflict with people for their supposed impact on
commercial cockle fisheries.As cockles have declined
on some estuaries, Oystercatchers have increasingly
turned to farmland to feed.
VOICE Loud, strident klip or kleep, develops into
penetrating kleep-a-kleep, kleep-a-kleep; shrill chorus
from large flocks.
NESTING Shallow scrape in shingle or sand, often
amongst rocks or grassy tussocks; 2 or 3 eggs; 1 brood;
April–July.
FEEDING Probes for large marine worms and LARGE, NOISY FLOCKS
molluscs and prises shellfish from rocks and seaweed; Oystercatchers feed in huge groups, and make the area ring with their
also eats earthworms. ear-splitting chorus; they roost in tight flocks.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Breeds on sandy, muddy, and
rocky beaches, grassy islands,
upturned riverside grassland or shingle, and
black bill
grassy fields along northern river
longer valleys. Also found, at any time
slimmer legs of year, on coasts. Rare migrant
inland south of breeding areas.
longer
AVOCET BLACK-TAILED GODWIT bill Seen in the UK
see p.165 similar in flight; see p.191 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 40–45cm (16–18in) Wingspan 80–85cm (32–34in) Weight 400–700g (14–25oz)
Social Large flocks Lifespan Up to 15 years Status Secure
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