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Pied Oystercatcher

(Haematopus longirostris)
Alternative names: "White-breasted Oyster-catcher", "Black-and-white Oyster-catcher", "Seapie", "Olive", "Redbill", "Torea"
Size: 42-50 cm

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

Pied Oystercatchers are found along the entire seaboard of Australia, including Torres Strait, Bass Strait and the entire coastline of Tasmania. They are not found anywhere inland.

Pied Oystercatchers hunt only in saline and brackish water along the coast, from estuaries to tidal flats and sandy beaches.

Sightings

First spotted by us in Australia at Myall Lakes National Park, 50 km north of Newcastle, NSW, in June 2009.

Pied Oystercatchers were spotted and photographed by C. Kellenberg in April 2008, at Surfer's Paradise Point.

We regularly spotted Pied Oystercatchers along the coastline of the Netherlands in the timeframe 1996-2000.

Additional information

Pied Oystercatchers were also observed and photographed by us in Oman.

Photos

Lateral view of a Pied Oystercatcher; photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg

Dorsal view of a Pied Oystercatcher

Couple of Pied Oystercatchers; photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg

Another pair of Pied Oystercatchers

Pied Oystercatcher in flight; photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg

Food

Pied Oystercatches feed on oysters and other shellfish that they pry loose with their powerful bills.

This bird was seen by us foraging ontop of a sand dune, rather than along the edge of water (there was salt water on one side of the dune and a salt marsh of an estuary on the other)