Oystercatchers | ||||||||||
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Western Black Oystercatcher | ||||||||||
Scientific classification | ||||||||||
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Genus | ||||||||||
Haematopus |
The Oystercatchers are a group of waders in the family Haematopodidae . They are large obvious and noisy plover-like birds, with strong flattened bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.
They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions. They are all-black, black and white or brown and white in appearance.
Their eggs are laid in a shallow scrape on shingle.
- ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES
- Suborder Charadrii: waders
- Family Thinocoridae: seedsnipe
- Family Pedionomidae: Plains Wanderer
- Family Scolopacidae: snipe, sandpipers, phalaropes, and allies
- Family Rostratulidae: painted snipe
- Family Jacanidae: jacanas
- Family Chionididae: sheathbills
- Family Burhinidae: thick-knees
- Family Haematopodidae
- Western Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani
- American Pied Oystercatcher H. palliatus
- Common Pied Oystercatcher H. ostralegus
- Canarian Black Oystercatcher H. meadewaldoi
- African Black Oystercatcher H. moquini
- Variable Oystercatcher H. unicolor
- Magellanic Oystercatcher H. leucopodus
- Sooty Oystercatcher H. fuliginosus
- Blackish Oystercatcher H. ater
- Chatham Islands Oystercatcher H. chathamensis
- Family Recurvirostridae: avocets
- Family Ibidorhynchidae: Ibisbill
- Family Charadriidae plovers and lapwings
- Family Pluvianellidae: Magellanic Plover
- Family Dromadidae: Crab Plover
- Family Glareolidae: pratincoles and coursers
- Suborder Lari: gulls and allies; 4 families
- Suborder Alcae: auks; 1 family
Common Pied Oystercatcher