Black Oystercatcher

Acclaimed American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter John James Audubon is credited with the discovery of the Black Oystercatcher. Known as the Haematopus bachmani scientifically, meaning “Hot Foot” due to their pink legs. It is a species of stout black shorebirds, that is found along the Pacific Coast of North America. The name is often used interchangeably to talk about the African Black Oystercatcher and the Blackish Oystercatcher.

About Black Oystercatchers

Very often, the Black Oystercatchers are used by researchers as a reflection of the health of the intertidal zone that they reside in. An abundance of the bird is usually due to a large amount of available prey which can often be due to a healthy coastline.  They’re also known for their secretion of Guano, a crucial element in the production of not only fertilizer but also explosives during the 19th century.

When we look at their interesting history, it is natural that birdwatchers want to know all they can about this shorebird species. So, why don’t we find out more today? We will learn about: 

● Black Oystercatcher Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Black Oystercatcher Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
● Black Oystercatcher Range and Migration, Nesting

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Black Oystercatcher Color Pattern

Black Oystercatchers, just like its name suggests, are mostly a dark glossy shade of black. Their heads are much darker than the rest of their body, almost bluish-black. The rest of their wings, tails, and back and a dark shade of brown. While their body is mostly black and white, the most noticeable part of the Black Oystercatchers are their beaks. There’s a striking combination of orange and red shades that blend around its long beak and red orbital rings. Its eyes are a deep orange with black irises. Juvenile Black Oystercatchers are a slightly lighter brown than their adult
counterparts and develop a darker head region as they mature.

Their legs are pale white while a juvenile Black Oystercatcher’s legs are pale grey which changes as they mature. Both Male and Female Black Oystercatchers have no visible difference in color pattern.

Description and Identification

Identifying a Black Oystercatcher is not as difficult as one might think, finding one can be a slightly difficult task. You can hear this conspicuous bird way before you can see them. Thus, helping the bird watcher to identify the song and lead them to the bird.

Their bill is the main way to tell them apart. However, the bright orange and red bill is a feature they share with the American Oystercatcher, but they lack the dominantly black plumage. Another identifying feature is their pale white legs with a heavy contrast to their dark black plumage.

One must be careful due to the change in color noted across the Black Oystercatcher population. Moving south along the Pacific coast, one would find that the dark black plumage of Northern populations begins to become a shade of dark brown. They look very similar to the African Black Oystercatcher. However, there is no way they can be confused with each other because you can’t find them in North America. 

Black Oystercatcher Song

Black Oystercatchers have only one call. They don’t sing to attract mates or assert dominance over so, the one song is more than they need. They often make a series of very high-pitch, piping, or whistling notes, given singly or in rolling, stuttering, or trilling series. Often compared with the high-pitched “whee” sound made by children when having fun. When the bird is in danger, they make this song after the adult male female have finished their displays of flying and walking. It seems to serve very little purpose beyond that, which makes it quite useless when compared to the complex vocalizations of other birds.

Black Oystercatcher Size

Black Oystercatchers are a large species of shorebirds, often larger than their other sea bird counterparts. When completely mature they measure between sixteen to nineteen inches from beak tip to tail tip. Heavier than their American Oystercatcher cousins, they can weigh anywhere between two to three pounds. Their wingspan is a
remarkable twenty-eight to thirty-two inches. Both the male and female Black Oystercatchers are the same size.

Black Oystercatcher Behavior

Black Oystercatchers are monogamous in their mating system, and their pairs remain together throughout the year. During the spring, as the breeding season approaches, adult males and females perform a series of paired flight and walking displays accompanied by much calling. Unlike most birds, they lack a song that asserts aggression. When a pair attempts to hold and protect a territory, they begin a series of walking displays side-by-side with their mates. They do this in order to assert the ownership of the territory to other Black Oystercatchers.

Highly territorial couples have attempted to ward off invaders from their territory by chasing and flying at them while calling loudly and repeatedly. Both male and female parents incubate eggs in turns until the hatchlings emerge.

Upon the hatchling’s arrival, the male and female take turns to feed the young ones. Later on, the parents take their chicks to the hunting grounds and teach them their hunting techniques. Then they begin to fly and start catching their own prey at around 5 weeks after hatching. The parents still continue to teach and feed the young for several months. They have many methods to distract possible predators and ensure the protection of their young, they follow the practice of doing fake brooding at multiple sites and leave broken shells and stones at their nests to disguise their eggs amongst them. Adult Oystercatchers sometimes fake an injury in front of predators who go too close to their nest and attempt to pull the predator away from their young. Often, such committed parents, adults can often starve while feeding their young.

After the breeding season, some pairs and young remain in the breeding territory, while others disperse toward richer feeding areas, where they may gather in flocks of dozens or even a few hundred in winter.

Black Oystercatcher Diet

As the name Black Oystercatcher suggests, they are hunters of the coast They mostly feast on mollusks and other marine creatures that inhabit the rocky intertidal zone. Using their sharp beaks they are able to pry open shells to gain access to the inner meat. They also eat crabs and sea urchins, which they smash and open for the meat, and barnacles. While largely dependent on the seashore as their hunting grounds, they also hunt earthworms. 

They hunt in grassy patches like golf courses and open farms near rock coasts. Contrary to their namesakes, they do not have a special love for oysters and rarely eat them especially if other prey is available.

Black Oystercatcher Habitat

Black Oystercatchers live only along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Often found inhabiting rocky marine habitats that serve as its hunting and nesting grounds. Nest sites include shelly, gravelly, or sandy beaches and spits as well as treeless rocky headlands or islands. 

Spending most of their time along the rocky coasts due to the abundance of possible prey in the intertidal zone, they leave the immediate coast during strong storms, at which point they retreat slightly inland.

Range and Migration

As they are permanent residents of the Pacific coasts, they do not migrate at all, often being extremely loyal to their preferred nesting grounds from the time of birth. They wander from their nesting grounds during spring and winter.  You can find them exclusively along the Pacific coast of North America starting from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska all the way down to the coast of Baja California.

Black Oystercatcher Lifecycle

In general, the Black Oystercatchers lay between one to four eggs, the eggs are either creamish or olive in color with many brown splotches. Both male and female parents incubate the eggs for twenty-four to twenty-nine days during which the non-incubating parent will hunt for itself and feed the incubating parent. 

Upon hatching the young are weak and need constant protection. Male and female again take turns to protect the young ones and hunt for food. As the young begin to mature they join their parents in the trip to the intertidal zones which serve as hunting grounds, soon at five weeks they begin to fly and catch their own food but are still fed by their parents for almost six months after, during which the parent teaches hunting techniques and protects the young. If the parent migrates, the young will migrate with them, remaining at the grounds for 2-3 years before returning to their natal ground to mate. Some northern populations stay in the nesting grounds while others move to better zones for feeding. They begin to sexually mature around three to four years after and live for 10 years in the wild.

Nesting

Nests are usuallyabove high tide lines on rocky shorelines, headlands, or beaches (of shells, pebbles, gravel, cobble, or sand) anywhere the bird can nest without the presence of taller vegetation. Black Oystercatchers are highly loyal to their nesting sites, often returning to the same nest they created the previous years.  These nests begin as “scrapes” made by the males that the female chooses. The female then completes the nest with the assistance of the male. A cup-like nest is made, averaging around eight inches and about an inch deep; they are often left bare beyond if not surrounded by small pebbles.

Anatomy of a Black Oystercatcher

A large, stout shorebird. Their bills are long, straight, thick, and pointed, these bills serve to clip the muscles that hold shellfish shut. Black Oystercatcher heads are domed with thick and short necks. Their broad wings are rounded towards the tip. Their build is largely stocky, with long legs that hold it above shallow water so it can hunt.

Final Thoughts

The entire population of this species nests in Canada and the United States, with a small population in Baja California, Mexico. Populations of this species are particularly vulnerable to cats and dogs, feral cats are considered responsible for a huge decline in Black Oystercatcher numbers. In Alaska, they are vulnerable to rats and foxes that have been introduced to offshore islands. Like other shorebirds, nesting oystercatchers are sensitive to beach disturbance by human oil spills, such as the Exxon spill in 1989 caused many deaths along with the long-lasting damage to their coastal habitat, adding a factor to its population decline. Rising water levels have also pushed back their nesting grounds that are often right about the high tide mark of water.

Contrary to all of these factors, and the global numbers being at a bare eight to ten thousand, the IUCN status of the Black Oystercatcher is “Least Concerned”. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has marked the species as one of concern leading to notable efforts in conservation along the coasts of Oregon and California, where large populations are present. The efforts in conservation have to lead to an increase in population since the 20th century.

The Black Oystercatcher’s vulnerable habitat can only be protected by increasing awareness and the care with which sensitive zones are dealt with. Until then we can depend on the Black Oystercatcher to keep telling us how it is going.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for IdentifyingBlack Oystercatchers

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Black Oystercatchers are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Black Oystercatcher Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Black Oystercatcher. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders For Black Oystercatchers

There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.

Bird Houses For Black Oystercatchers

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.