African oystercatcher

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African oystercatcher
African Black Oystercatcher (2).JPG
African oystercatcher in Betty's Bay
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Haematopodidae
Genus: Haematopus
Species:
H. moquini
Binomial name
Haematopus moquini
Bonaparte, 1856
Population and breeding range of the African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini.jpg
      breeding range      population range
Synonyms

Metanibyx africana?
Haematopus niger Moquin, 1820 [2]
Ostralega capensisLichtenstein, 1823 [3]
Haematopus capensisGray, 1847 [4]
Melanibyx moquiniReichenbach, 1851 [5]
Haematopus unicolorLichtenstein, 1854 [6]
Melanibyx capensisHeine, 1890 [7]
Haematopus ostralegus moquiniPeters, 1934 [8]

Contents

The African oystercatcher or African black oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini) is a large charismatic wader resident to the mainland coasts and offshore islands of southern Africa. This near-threatened oystercatcher has a population of over 6,000 adults, which breed between November and April. [9] The scientific name moquini commemorates the French naturalist Alfred Moquin-Tandon who discovered and named this species before Bonaparte. [10]

Description

The African oystercatcher is a large, noisy wader, with completely black plumage, red legs and a strong broad red bill. The sexes are similar in appearance, however, females are larger and have a slightly longer beak than males. Juveniles have soft grey plumage and do not express the characteristic red legs and beak until after they fledged. The call is a distinctive loud piping, very similar to Eurasian oystercatchers. As the Eurasian oystercatcher is a migratory species they only occur as a vagrant in southern Africa, and its black-and-white plumage makes confusion impossible. [9]

Average measurements

Body Length:42–45 cm (17–18 in)
Wingspan:80 and 88 cm (31 and 35 in)
Mass: ♂ 665 g (1.466 lb) ♀ 730 g (1.61 lb)
Tarsus:50.6 to 60.8 mm (1.99 to 2.39 in)
Culmen:57.7 to 79.1 cm (22.7 to 31.1 in) [9]

Distribution and habitat

The African oystercatcher is native to the mainland coasts and offshore islands of Southern Africa - sometimes occurring as a vagrant in Angola and Mozambique. Its breeding range extends from Lüderitz, Namibia to Mazeppa Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa. There are estimated to be over 6,000 adult birds in total. [1] [9]

Typically sedentary African oystercatchers rarely leave their territories, which include a nesting site and feeding grounds. These will usually be located on or near rocky shores where they can feed.

Ecology

Feeding

African oystercatchers predominantly feed on molluscs such as mussels and limpets, although they are known to also feed on polychaetes, insects [11] and potentially even fish. [12] They are adapted to pry open mussels and loosen limpets off the rocks but have been recorded picking through sand to locate other food items.

Breeding

The nest is a bare scrape on pebbles, sand or shingle within about 30 metres (98 ft) of the high-water mark. On rock ledges there may be a rim of shells to keep the eggs in place. The female generally lays two eggs, but there may be one or three, which are incubated by both adults. The incubation period varies between 27 and 39 days and the young take a further 38 or so days to fledge. Breeding success is greater on offshore islands where there are few predators and less disturbance than mainland sites. [13]

The eggs average about 65 mm (2.6 in) in length, ranging from 45 to 73 mm (1.8 to 2.9 in), and have a breadth of 41 mm (1.6 in), ranging from 34 to 45 cm (13 to 18 in).

Longevity and mortality

The lifespan of an African oystercatcher is about 35 years, of which they are known to pair up for 25 years. Although adults are rarely predated, most mainland egg and chick fatalities are due to disturbance by people, off-road vehicles, dog attacks and predation by the kelp gull (Larus dominicanus) and other avian predators. [1] Offshore pairs experience similar avian predation although most chicks perish due to starvation.

Status

As of December 2017 the global IUCN assessment of the African oystercatcher's status is "Least Concern". The population trend seems to be upward as the local community becomes more involved in adopting conservation measures. [1] In South Africa, the species has also been downlisted to Least Concern. [14] A long-term program by the South African Ringing Scheme is tracking the dispersal of ringed birds to keep conservation assessments in South Africa and Namibia up to date. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oystercatcher</span> Genus of birds

The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia. The exceptions to this are the Eurasian oystercatcher, the South Island oystercatcher, and the Magellanic oystercatcher, which also breed inland, far inland in some cases. In the past there has been a great deal of confusion as to the species limits, with discrete populations of all black oystercatchers being afforded specific status but pied oystercatchers being considered one single species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turnstone</span> Genus of birds

Turnstones are two bird species that constitute the genus Arenaria in the family Scolopacidae. They are closely related to calidrid sandpipers and might be considered members of the tribe Calidriini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruddy turnstone</span> Species of bird

The ruddy turnstone is a small cosmopolitan wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian oystercatcher</span> Species of bird

The Eurasian oystercatcher also known as the common pied oystercatcher, or just oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It has striking black and white plumage, a long straight orange-red bill, red eyes and relatively short dull pink legs. The sexes are similar in appearance but the bill of the female is longer than that of the male.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey plover</span> Species of bird

The grey plover or black-bellied plover is a large plover breeding in Arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collared pratincole</span> Species of bird

The collared pratincole, also known as the common pratincole or red-winged pratincole, is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae. As with other pratincoles, it is native to the Old World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross's gull</span> Species of bird

Ross's gull is a small gull, the only species in its genus, although it has been suggested it should be merged with the closely related genus Hydrocoloeus, which otherwise only includes the little gull.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egyptian plover</span> Species of bird

The Egyptian plover, also known as the crocodile bird, is a wader, the only member of the genus Pluvianus. It occurs in a band across Sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east and south to parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It no longer occurs in Egypt. The species was formerly placed with the pratincoles and coursers in the family, Glareolidae, but is now regarded as the sole member of its own monotypic family Pluvianidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kittlitz's plover</span> Species of bird

Kittlitz's plover is a small shorebird in the family Charadriidae that breeds near coastal and inland saltmarshes, sandy or muddy riverbanks or alkaline grasslands with short vegetation. It is native to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Delta and Madagascar. It is thought to be mainly polygamous and has monomorphic plumage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black oystercatcher</span> Species of bird

The black oystercatcher is a conspicuous black bird found on the shoreline of western North America, ranging from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to the coast of the Baja California peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American oystercatcher</span> Species of bird

The American oystercatcher, occasionally called the American pied oystercatcher, is a member of family Haematopodidae. Originally called the "sea pie", it was renamed in 1731 when naturalist Mark Catesby claimed that he had observed the bird eating oysters. The current population of American oystercatchers is estimated to be 43,000. There are estimated to be 1,500 breeding pairs along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the US. The bird is marked by its black and white body and a long, thick orange beak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pied oystercatcher</span> Species of bird

The pied oystercatcher is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. The similar South Island pied oystercatcher occurs in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatham Islands oystercatcher</span> Species of bird

The Chatham Islands oystercatcher(Haematopus chathamensis), formerly known as the Chatham oystercatcher, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird endemic to the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. This species is rated by the IUCN as endangered, and has a current population of 310 to 325 birds. The main threat is from introduced predators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sooty oystercatcher</span> Species of bird

The sooty oystercatcher is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird endemic to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. It prefers rocky coastlines, but will occasionally live in estuaries. All of its feathers are black. It has a red eye, eye ring and bill, and pink legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canary Islands oystercatcher</span> Species of bird

The Canary Islands oystercatcher, Canarian oystercatcher, or Canarian black oystercatcher , was a shorebird of uncertain taxonomy endemic to Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, and their offshore islets in the Canary Islands in Spain. It is now considered to be extinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-fronted plover</span> Species of shorebird of the family Charadriidae from Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar

The white-fronted plover or white-fronted sandplover is a small shorebird of the family Charadriidae that inhabits sandy beaches, dunes, mudflats and the shores of rivers and lakes in sub-saharan Africa and Madagascar. It nests in small shallow scrapes in the ground and lays clutches of one to three eggs. The species is monogamous and long-lived, with a life expectancy of approximately 12 years. The vast majority of pairs that mate together stay together during the following years of breeding and retain the same territory. The white-fronted plover has a similar appearance to the Kentish plover, with a white fore crown and dark bands connecting the eyes to the bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Island oystercatcher</span> Species of bird

The South Island oystercatcher or South Island pied oystercatcher is one of two common oystercatcher species found in New Zealand. Its name is often contracted to the acronym "SIPO". The indigenous Māori name is tōrea. The scientific name commemorates the German ethnographer, naturalist and colonial explorer Friedrich Hermann Otto Finsch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pied starling</span> Species of bird

The pied starling or African pied starling is a bird endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. It is common in most of its range, but largely absent from the arid northwest and the eastern lowlands of South Africa. It is found in open habitats such as grassland, karoo scrub, thornbush and agricultural land, and often associates with farm animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magellanic oystercatcher</span> Species of bird

The Magellanic oystercatcher is a species of wader in the family Haematopodidae. It is found in Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands in freshwater lake and sandy shore habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Variable oystercatcher</span> Species of bird

The variable oystercatcher is a species of wader in the family Haematopodidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Māori name is tōrea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 BirdLife International (2017). "Haematopus moquini". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22693627A118385157. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22693627A118385157.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Parzudaki, Émile (1856). Catalogue des oiseaux d'Europe offerts, en 1856, aux ornithologistes. Paris: E. Parzudaki.
  3. ↑ Verzeichniss der Doubletten des zoologischer Museums hiesiger Königl.Universität...nebst Beschreibung vieler bisher unbekannter Arten von Säugethieren,Vögeln,Amphibien und Fischen...,p.73.
  4. ↑ The Genera of Birds, 1844-49, Pt.42, Haematopodinae (Dec.), no.2. bound vol.3,p. 547.
  5. ↑ Die vollständigste Naturgeschichte der Sumpfvögel:Aves Grallatores. (= Novitiae ad Synopsin Avium...II.Grallatories (III Rasores) No.: V, pl.168, figs.1042-43.
  6. ↑ Nomenclator avium Musei Zoologici Berolinensis.Namenverzeichniss,p.93. (Kaffernland). Not Haematopus unicolor Wagler,1832.
  7. ↑ Nomenclator Musei Heineani Ornithologici,p.337.
  8. ↑ Checklist of Birds of the World, 2, p.233.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Hockey, P. A. R. (2005). Roberts birds of southern Africa. Cape Town: Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund.
  10. ↑ Parzudaki, Émile (1856). Catalogue des oiseaux d'Europe offerts, en 1856, aux ornithologistes. Paris: E. Parzudaki.
  11. ↑ Ryan, P. G.; Visagie, J. (2008). "African Black Oystercatchers feeding in a terrestrial habitat". Ostrich. 79 (2): 243. doi:10.2989/ostrich.2008.79.2.18.592. S2CID   85297808.
  12. ↑ Paijmans, D. M. (2013). "Piscivory in the African Black Oystercatcher". Promerops. 294: 15.
  13. ↑ "Species factsheet: African Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini". BirdLife International. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
  14. ↑ Barnes, KN (ed.). "African Black Oystercatcher". The Eskom red data book of birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Johannesburg: BirdLife South Africa. p. 142.
  15. ↑ "Oystercatcher Conservation Programme (OCP)". Percy Fitzpatrick Institute - University of Cape Town. Archived from the original on 2017-05-29. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
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