American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliatus
Identification Tips:

Large shorebird
Bright orange, long, thick bill
Head and breast black
Dark gray back and wings
White belly
Large white patch on inner wing
White uppertail coverts and dark tail
Pink legs
Adult:

Yellow eye
Orange orbital ring

Juvenile:

Eye dark and orbital ring not conspicuous
Dark end of bill
Upperparts faintly fringed with buff

Habitat: Spoil islands in estuaries and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Shell bars, coastal beaches, mudflats and salt marshes. They nest on open beach above the tide line.

Diet: They feed mostly on oysters, clams and other bivalves and use their bills as"hammers" to prey open the shells. Similar species: The striking black and white plumage, large size, and bright orange bill make this bird quite unlike any other. Image by permission of Dr. Daniel Sudia for educational purposes.

Bird Images Needed!

American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliatus Identification Tips: Large shorebird Bright orange, long, thick bill Head and breast black Dark gray back and wings White belly Large white patch on inner wing White uppertail coverts and dark tail Pink legs Adult: Yellow eye Orange orbital ring

Juvenile:

Haematopus palliatus
Identification Tips:

Large shorebird
Bright orange, long, thick bill
Head and breast black
Dark gray back and wings
White belly
Large white patch on inner wing
White uppertail coverts and dark tail
Pink legs
Adult:

Yellow eye
Orange orbital ring