Oystercatchers

Black Oystercatcher

Klippen-Austernfischer

Haematopus bachmani

Oystercatchers3 photosFirst seen: 9 August 2026

The Black Oystercatcher is a large dark shorebird with a long red bill, pink legs and a yellow eye. It is found on rocky Pacific coasts, usually close to exposed reefs and breaking waves. At low tide it feeds on mussels, limpets and other intertidal animals. Pairs defend stretches of shoreline and often remain in the same area throughout the year. The nest is a shallow scrape above the high-tide line.

ID tip: Unmistakable: an all-dark wader with a long, bright red bill, a yellow eye ringed in red, and pale pink legs. No other coastal bird combines the black body and red bill.

First seen: 9 August 2026 · Salt Creek Recreation Area · 3 photos in the collection.

Places in my records

Locations where this species is supported by a dated first record, an unambiguous single-place outing or a reviewed assignment.

Salt Creek Recreation Area9 August 2026

Family: Oystercatchers (Haematopodidae)
Length: 42–47 cm
Wingspan: 76 cm
Regional status: Year-round resident (Pacific Northwest, USA)
Conservation: Least Concern LCIUCN Red List · retrieved 27 August 2026
Habitat: Rocky Pacific coast, tidal rocks and reefs
Diet: Mussels, limpets, barnacles and other tidal invertebrates

Built from verified occurrence records, not drawn by hand. Core range = the countries holding 99% of all records; the rest are scattered or vagrant records. Record counts track where people watch birds as much as where the birds are, so the map shows presence, not abundance. Data: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Basemap: Natural Earth.

Black Oystercatcher

Places in my records

Selected photographs