Large. Black and white, with long, narrow, orange bill. Sexes alike.
Adults: Black with lower back, rump, basal half of tail, breast, belly, undertail coverts, underwing, wing bar, white. Eye, red. Bill, mainly red and orange at tip. Legs, red during breeding season, otherwise flesh-pink to orange-red.
Immatures: Similar to adult but back is browner. A broad white neck collar appears during first winter. Eye, reddish-brown or brown. Bill, mainly red and blackish at tip. Legs, flesh-pink to orange-red.
Other Names (World)
Eurasian Oystercatcher, Common Pied Oystercatcher, European Pied Oystercatcher, Northern Pied Oystercatcher, Sea Pie
Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) [XC770892]
by Irish Wildlife Sounds from Bodegraven, Bodegraven-Reeuwijk, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands (nocturnal flight call)
Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) [XC687090]
by Niels Van Doninck from Ireland (near Ballyvoge), Cork, County Cork, Ireland (nocturnal flight call)
Nest
A shallow scrape on the ground, in the open lined with pebbles or shells.
Eggs (Guide)
2 - 3; usually pale buff, spotted, blotched or streaked with dark brown. Incubation: 26 - 27 days.
Subspecies
Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) and South Island Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus finschi) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993), cross-regional species, are retained as separate species contra Turbott (1990) who include finschi as a subspecies of Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus).
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
ostralegus Linnaeus, 1758 - Iceland and Scandinavia east to R Pechora, south through British Is to north-eastern France, with isolated populations in Mediterranean from north-eastern Spain and south France to Turkey. Winters south to western Africa.
longipes Buturlin, 1910 - Western and north-central Russia (mouth of R Ob') south to Black, Caspian and Aral Seas and L Balkhash, and east to western Siberia. Winters on coast from eastern Africa through Arabia to India.
osculans Swinhoe, 1871 - Kamchatka and western North Korea, and also suspected to breed from Amurland and Ussuriland through Manchuria to Hebei (north-eastern China), and possibly in Kuril Is. Winters in eastern China south to Guangdong.
finschi Martens, 1897 - Highlands of South I. (New Zealand). Winters to North I. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, South Island Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus finschi).
buturlini Dementiev, 1941 - Western Kazakhstan to north-western China.
The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7
BirdLife International Species Factsheet