Chatham oystercatcher

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Chatham oystercatcher
Chatham Island Oystercatcher (Haematopus chathamensis).jpg
Status NZTCS NC.svg
Nationally Critical (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Haematopodidae
Genus: Haematopus
Species:
H. chathamensis
Binomial name
Haematopus chathamensis
Hartert, 1927

The Chatham oystercatcher or Chatham Island oystercatcher (Haematopus chathamensis) 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 (2004 census). The main threat is from introduced predators.

Contents

Description

The Chatham oystercatcher has distinctive black and white plumage and a long, thick orange-red beak. The head, neck, breast, back, wings and tail are black. The lower underparts are white with an unclear demarcation on the breast. The irises are red and the eyes have orange orbital rings. The short, thick legs are pink. Adults are about 48 centimetres (19 in) in length. [2]

Distribution

The Chatham oystercatcher is only found on the Chatham Islands, an archipelago about 680 kilometres (420 mi) south east of New Zealand. Each of the four main islands has small breeding populations.

Behaviour

Haematopus chathamensis eggs from the collection of Auckland Museum Haematopus chathamensis (AM LB12833).jpg
Haematopus chathamensis eggs from the collection of Auckland Museum

The Chatham oystercatcher feeds on molluscs and marine worms, digging them out of the sand with its beak and hammering the shells to open them. They prefer foraging on coastline to lagoon shoreline, foraging mostly on intertidal rock platforms and sandy beaches (though some birds preferred pasture). [3]

The nest is built on the beach on sandy or rocky shores and consists of a simple scrape. Sometimes it is built among low vegetation and may be rather more elaborate. Two or three eggs are usually laid. Young birds left their birth territory about 33 days after fledging. [3] Juvenile birds become mature at about three years of age, and the lifespan is about eight years. [4] The success rate of each pair averages 0.44 fledglings per breeding season, with flooding the main cause of egg loss. [3]

Status

In the late 1980s, the total population was less than 110 birds, and was feared to be declining. [3] By 2006 the total population on the four Chatham Islands was estimated to be 310 to 360 individuals of which fewer than 250 were mature individuals. The population is believed to be stable; the IUCN rates the Chatham oystercatcher as "Endangered", and the Department of Conservation as "Nationally Critical". [5] The main threats faced by this bird are predation, particularly by feral cats on eggs and chicks, and the cattle and sheep which roam onto the beaches and may trample the nests. The introduced flightless weka (Gallirallus australis) is also a nest predator. [4]

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">Magenta petrel</span> Species of bird

The magenta petrel, or Chatham Island tāiko, is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, Pterodroma. Found exclusively on Chatham Island, New Zealand it is one of the rarest birds in the world, believed to be extinct for over 100 years before its rediscovery in the 1970s.

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

The New Zealand kākā is a large species of parrot of the family Nestoridae found in New Zealand's native forests. The species is often known by the abbreviated name kākā, although it shares this name with the recently extinct Norfolk kākā and Chatham kākā. Two subspecies of New Zealand kākā are recognised. It is endangered and has disappeared from much of its former range, though the re-introduction of North Island kākā at Zealandia in Wellington has led to an increasing population of the birds across the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African oystercatcher</span> Large near-threatened wading species of bird redident on the shores of South Africa

The African oystercatcher or African black oystercatcher 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. The scientific name moquini commemorates the French naturalist Alfred Moquin-Tandon who discovered and named this species before Bonaparte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black robin</span> Passerine species of bird native to the Chatham Islands

The black robin or Chatham Island robin is an endangered bird from the Chatham Islands off the east coast of New Zealand. It is closely related to the South Island robin. It was first described by Walter Buller in 1872. The binomial commemorates the New Zealand botanist Henry H. Travers (1844–1928). Unlike its mainland counterparts, its flight capacity is somewhat reduced. Evolution in the absence of mammalian predators made it vulnerable to introduced species, such as cats and rats, and it became extinct on the main island of the Chatham group before 1871, being restricted to Little Mangere Island thereafter.

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

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

The American oystercatcher, occasionally called the American pied oystercatcher, or PiruPiru, is a member of family Haematopodidae. Originally called the "sea pie", it was renamed in 1731 when naturalist Mark Catesby 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

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<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">New Zealand fairy tern</span> Subspecies of bird

The New Zealand fairy tern or tara-iti is a subspecies of the fairy tern endemic to New Zealand. It is New Zealand's rarest native breeding bird, with about 40 individuals left in the wild. It nests at four coastal locations between Whangarei and Auckland in the North Island. It is threatened by introduced predators, extreme storms and tides, beach activity, and waterfront development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-crowned parakeet</span> Species of bird

The red-crowned parakeet, also known as red-fronted parakeet and by its Māori name of kākāriki, is a small parrot from New Zealand. It is characterised by its bright green plumage and the red pattern on its head. This versatile bird can feed on a variety food items and can be found in many habitat types. It used to be classified as near threatened as invasive predators had pushed it out of its historical range but it is now at least concern. This species used to occupy the entire island, but is now confined to only a few areas on the mainland and some offshore islands.

<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">Black-fronted tern</span> Species of bird

The black-fronted tern, also known as sea martin, ploughboy, inland tern, riverbed tern or tarapiroe, is a small tern generally found in or near bodies of fresh water in New Zealand, where it forages for freshwater fish, arthropods and worms. It has a predominantly grey plumage. Restricted to breeding in the eastern regions of the South Island, it is declining and threatened by introduced mammals and birds. It is rated as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species.

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

The shore plover, also known as the shore dotterel, is a small plover endemic to New Zealand. Once found all around the New Zealand coast, it is now restricted to a few offshore islands. It is one of the world's rarest shorebirds: the population is roughly 200.

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

The Chatham parakeet, also known as Forbes' parakeet, is a rare parakeet endemic to the Chatham Islands group, New Zealand. This parakeet is one of New Zealand's rarest birds and is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as a result of a range of threats to the species survival, including habitat loss, predation, and hybridization. A number of conservation methods have been employed to assist the recovery of this species, and currently the population trend is considered stable.

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

The Chatham pigeon, also called the Chatham Island pigeon or parea, is a bird endemic to the Chatham Islands in New Zealand. Growing to 800g in weight and 55 cm in length, the Chatham Island pigeon is closely related to the kererū or New Zealand pigeon, the only other species in the genus Hemiphaga.

<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 Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'.

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

The Chatham shag, also known as the Chatham Island shag, is a species of bird in the cormorant and shag family, Phalacrocoracidae. It is endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. For a long time the species was placed in the genus Phalacrocorax; today it is mostly placed with the other blue-eyed shags of New Zealand and Antarctica in the genus Leucocarbo. Its closest relative is the Otago shag of South Island.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2017). "Haematopus chathamensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22693656A118496303. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22693656A118496303.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. Hockey, P.A.R. (1996). "Family Haematopodidae (Oystercatchers)" . In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 308-325 [324]. ISBN   978-84-87334-20-7.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Schmechel, F.; Paterson, Adrian M. (2005). Habitat selection and breeding ecology of the endangered Chatham Island oystercatcher (Haematopus chathamensis) (Report). Wellington: Department of Conservation. hdl:10182/1640. ISBN   0-478-22683-7.
  4. 1 2 Moore, P.J. (2014). "Conservation assessment of the Chatham Island Oystercatcher Haematopus chathamensis" (PDF). International Wader Studies. 20: 23–32.
  5. "Haematopus chathamensis". NZTCS. 2016. Retrieved 2019-12-15.