European Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegus
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Rare
- Observations
- 31,624
- Most observed in
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Conservation
- Near Threatened
Description
The Eurasian oystercatcher or European oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus), also known as the common pied oystercatcher, or (in Europe) just oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It has striking black and white plumage, a long straight orange-red bill, red eyes and relatively short dull pink legs. The sexes are similar in appearance but the bill of the female is longer than that of the male. It is the most widespread of the oystercatchers, with four subspecies breeding in western Europe, central Eurosiberia, Kamchatka, China, and the western coast of Korea. No other oystercatcher occurs within this area.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Eurasian oystercatcher”.