American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliates

The American oystercatcher is a large, stocky shorebird with a black head, white belly and dark brownish back. Adults have:

• Large white patches on the wings, tail and rump.
• A long, straight, laterally flattened, reddish-orange bill.
• Pale pink legs.

Oystercatchers grow to about 19 inches.

Where does the American oystercatcher live?

Oystercatchers can be found from spring through fall on beaches, mud flats and exposed oyster bars in the lower Bay, particularly along the lower Eastern Shore. In winter, they migrate southward.

What does the American oystercatcher eat?

Oystercatchers root through mud and sand to find and feed on oysters and other mollusks, as well as fiddler crabs. They eat by:

• Thrusting their powerful, blade-like bill between a mollusk's open shells and stabbing its adductor muscle, then feeding on the meat of the mollusk.
• Using their bill to hammer a mollusk's shell until it cracks.

What does the American oystercatcher sound like?

Oystercatchers are very noisy birds. Their calls are:

• A shrill wheep or kleep.
• Loud pic pic pics.

Where does the American oystercatcher nest and breed?

Oystercatchers nest in spring on sandy areas along the Bay's shoreline, particularly around Tangier Sound.

• Nests are shallow hollows in the sand lined with beach debris and crushed shells.
• Females lay two to four sandy-colored eggs per clutch.
• Juveniles have a mottled appearance that differs slightly from adults' plumage.