Haematopus bachmani
The striking Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) is a captivating shorebird, instantly recognizable by its entirely sooty-black plumage, contrasted sharply with a brilliant red-orange bill, pale pink legs, and piercing yellow eyes encircled by a vivid red orbital ring. Averaging 43-48 cm (17-19 in) in length with a wingspan of 76-89 cm (30-35 in) and weighing 500-700 g (1.1-1.5 lb), its robust form and distinctive, chisel-like bill are unique field marks against its rocky coastal habita...
Found exclusively in exposed rocky intertidal zones, offshore islands, and occasionally sandy or gravelly beaches along coastlines at sea level.
Primarily marine invertebrates, including limpets, mussels, chitons, clams, and barnacles, obtained by probing, prying, or hammering with their specialized bills.
Black Oystercatchers are primarily diurnal, actively foraging along the exposed intertidal zone during low tide and typically roosting communally on high rocks or islets during high tide. Their foraging strategy is highly specialized: using their stout, vertically flattened bill, they deftly pry ...
The Black Oystercatcher is a year-round resident along the Pacific coast of North America, stretching from the Aleutian Islands and Prince William Sound in Alaska, south through the coastlines of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California, extending down to Baja California in Mexico. Th...
Least Concern
- Despite their name, Black Oystercatchers rarely eat oysters; their diet mainly consists of mussels, limpets, and clams. - Their specialized bills are laterally compressed, allowing them to pry open bivalves or cut adductor muscles. - Black Oystercatcher chicks are precocial, able to walk and ev...