Wild Bird Wednesday: Oystercatchers

I really love Oystercatchers. I think it has something to do with their bright coloured beaks, eyes and eye rings.

Australian Pied Oystercatcher.
The Pied Oystercatcher is black with a white breast and belly with bright orange-red bill, eye-rings, a red eye and pink legs. Young birds are similar in appearance to the adults, but lack the intense red-orange colours and are brown rather than black. The Pied Oystercatcher is shy of humans and seldom allows close approach.
The Pied Oystercatcher is found in coastal areas throughout the Australian continent except for areas of unbroken sea cliffs such as the Great Australian Bight. It prefers mudflats, sandbanks and sandy ocean beaches and is less common along rocky or shingle coastlines. (Info from Birds in Backyards)

The white breast and belly distinguish the Pied Oystercatcher from the closely related Sooty Oystercatcher, which has all black plumage.


Sooty Oystercatcher.
The Sooty Oystercatcher is a striking black shorebird with a long orange-red bill, red eye and pink legs. Young birds are duller and browner. It is often seen with the similar Pied Oystercatcher and is only found in coastal areas.
The Sooty Oystercatcher is the only all-black shorebird in Australia. It is endemic to Australia and is widespread in coastal eastern, southern and western Australia.
The Sooty Oystercatcher is strictly coastal, usually within 50 m of the ocean. It prefers rocky shores, but will be seen on coral reefs or sandy beaches near mudflats. It breeds on offshore islands and isolated rocky headlands. (Info from Birds in Backyards)

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