Oystercatchers
The Oystercatcher is a wader in the oystercatcher family. It is an obvious and noisy bird with black and white plumage, red legs and a strong broad red bill which is used for smashing or prising open molluscs such as mussels or for finding earthworms. Despite its name, oysters do not form a large part of its diet. The Oystercatcher is unmistakable in flight with white patches on the wings and tail with otherwise black upperparts and white underparts. Young birds are more brown, have a white neck collar and a duller bill. The call is a distinctive loud piping.
The bill shape varies: Oystercatchers with broad bill tips open molluscs by prising them apart or hammering through the shell whereas birds with pointed bills dig up worms. Much of this is due to the wear resulting from feeding on their prey. Individual Oystercatchers specialise in one technique or the other which they learn from their parents.
The Oystercatcher is the most widespread of the oystercatchers with 3 races breeding in western Europe, central Eurasia, Kamchatka, China, and the western coast of Korea. It is a migratory species over most of its range. The European population breeds mainly in northern Europe but in winter the birds can be found in north Africa and southern parts of Europe. Although the species is present all year in Ireland, the UK and the adjacent European coasts, there is still migratory movement within these populations.
The Oystercatcher breeds on shingle and rocky beaches, sand dunes, salt marshes and on the grassy tops of small islands and also inland on shingle banks of rivers, lakes and gravel pits.
Date: 5th June 2015
Location: Steingrímsfjarðarheiði to Ísafjörður, Westfjords, Iceland
The bill shape varies: Oystercatchers with broad bill tips open molluscs by prising them apart or hammering through the shell whereas birds with pointed bills dig up worms. Much of this is due to the wear resulting from feeding on their prey. Individual Oystercatchers specialise in one technique or the other which they learn from their parents.
The Oystercatcher is the most widespread of the oystercatchers with 3 races breeding in western Europe, central Eurasia, Kamchatka, China, and the western coast of Korea. It is a migratory species over most of its range. The European population breeds mainly in northern Europe but in winter the birds can be found in north Africa and southern parts of Europe. Although the species is present all year in Ireland, the UK and the adjacent European coasts, there is still migratory movement within these populations.
The Oystercatcher breeds on shingle and rocky beaches, sand dunes, salt marshes and on the grassy tops of small islands and also inland on shingle banks of rivers, lakes and gravel pits.
Date: 5th June 2015
Location: Steingrímsfjarðarheiði to Ísafjörður, Westfjords, Iceland
|
Also in: Westfjords
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |