Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegus
Individuals specialize in one of two feeding methods: 'stabbers' hammer through shells, while 'heavers' pry them open using the bill as a lever.
- Scientific name
- Haematopus ostralegus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Haematopodidae › Haematopus
- IUCN Red List status
- Near Threatened
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Coastal mudflats, estuaries, sandy and shingly beaches, and occasionally inland damp grasslands.
- Diet
- Specializes in bivalve mollusks like mussels and cockles, as well as earthworms and crustaceans.
- Range
- Europe, Central Asia, East Asia, North Africa
- Size
- 40-45 cm in length with a wingspan of 80-86 cm.
- Lifespan
- 12-15 years on average, though some individuals have lived over 35 years.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Overfishing of shellfish stocks, habitat loss due to coastal development, and disturbance from recreational activities.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but highly vocal. They are ground-nesters; if a bird circles you while screaming 'kleep', you are too close to its nest. Maintain a distance of at least 50 meters and watch your step on shingle beaches to avoid crushing camouflaged eggs. No medical risk to humans.
The Eurasian oystercatcher ( Haematopus ostralegus ) also known as the common pied oystercatcher , or palaearctic oystercatcher , or (in Europe) just oystercatcher , is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It is the most widespread of the oystercatchers, with three races breeding in western Europe, central Eurasia, Kamchatka, China, and the western coast of Korea. No other oystercatcher occurs within this area.
Photo: Олеся, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/5125d604-c9ca-4e28-9720-15056890dedb.md