Oystercatcher

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Oystercatchers
Temporal range: Middle Miocene – Recent
Haematopus longirostris 2.jpg
Pied oystercatcher
(Haematopus longirostris)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Suborder: Charadrii
Family: Haematopodidae
Bonaparte, 1838
Genus: Haematopus
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Haematopus ostralegus
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

Twelve, see table

American oystercatchers with chick American oystercatchers at Fort Tilden (60747).jpg
American oystercatchers with chick
Juvenile Oystercatcher - Strandskata (Haematopus ostralegus).jpg
Juvenile

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. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus Haematopus was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae to accommodate a single species, the Eurasian oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus. [2] The genus name Haematopus comes from the Ancient Greek words haima αἳμα meaning blood, and pous πούς meaning foot, referring to the red legs of the Eurasian oystercatcher; [3] it had been in use since Pierre Belon in 1555. [4] The family Haematopodidae was introduced (as the subfamily Haematopodinae) by the French naturalist Charles Bonaparte in 1838. [5] [6]

The common name oystercatcher was coined by Mark Catesby in 1731 for the North American species H. palliatus , which he described as eating oysters. [7] [8] The English zoologist William Yarrell in 1843 established this as the preferred term, replacing the older name sea pie, [7] [9] although the term had earlier been used by the Welsh Naturalist Thomas Pennant in 1776 in his British Zoology. [10]

Description

The different species of oystercatcher show little variation in shape or appearance. They range from 39–50 centimetres (15+1219+12 inches) in length and 72–91 cm (28+12–36 in) in wingspan. The Eurasian oystercatcher is the lightest on average, at 526 grams (1 pound 2+12 ounces), while the sooty oystercatcher is the heaviest, at 819 g (1 lb 13 oz). [11] The plumage of all species is either all-black, or black (or dark brown) on top and white underneath.

The variable oystercatcher is slightly exceptional in being either all-black or pied. They are large, obvious, and noisy plover-like birds, with massive long orange or red bills used for smashing or prying open molluscs. The bill shape varies between species, according to the diet. Those birds with blade-like bill tips pry open or smash mollusc shells, and those with pointed bill tips tend to probe for annelid worms. They show sexual dimorphism, with females being longer-billed and heavier than males. [1]

Feeding

The diet of oystercatchers varies with location. Species occurring inland feed upon earthworms and insect larvae. [1] The diet of coastal oystercatchers is more varied, although dependent upon coast type; on estuaries, bivalves, gastropods and polychaete worms are the most important part of the diet, whereas rocky shore oystercatchers prey upon limpets, mussels, gastropods, and chitons. Other prey items include echinoderms, fish, and crabs.

Breeding

Oystercatcher chicks and eggs Oystercatcher Chicks and Egg (50252127477).jpg
Oystercatcher chicks and eggs

Nearly all species of oystercatcher are monogamous, although there are reports of polygamy in the Eurasian oystercatcher. They are territorial during the breeding season (with a few species defending territories year round). There is strong mate and site fidelity in the species that have been studied, with one record of a pair defending the same site for 20 years. A single nesting attempt is made per breeding season, which is timed over the summer months. The nests of oystercatchers are simple affairs, scrapes in the ground which may be lined, and placed in a spot with good visibility.

The eggs of oystercatchers are spotted and cryptic. Between one and four eggs are laid, with three being typical in the Northern Hemisphere and two in the south. Incubation is shared but not proportionally, females tend to take more incubation and males engage in more territory defence. Incubation varies by species, lasting between 24–39 days. Oystercatchers are also known to practice "egg dumping." Like the cuckoo, they sometimes lay their eggs in the nests of other species such as seagulls, abandoning them to be raised by those birds. [12]

Conservation

The Canary Islands oystercatcher became extinct during the 20th century. The Chatham oystercatcher is endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand and is listed as endangered by the IUCN, while both the African and Eurasian oystercatchers are considered near threatened. There has been conflict with commercial shellfish farmers, but studies have found that the impact of oystercatchers is much smaller than that of shore crabs.

Species

The genus contains twelve species. [13] Species in taxonomic order:

Genus Haematopus Linnaeus, 1758 – twelve species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Magellanic oystercatcher

Magellanic Oystercatcher.jpg

Haematopus leucopodus
Garnot, 1826
Southern South America
Haematopus leucopodus dist.png
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Blackish oystercatcher

Blackish oystercatcher Bahia Inglesa Chile.jpg

Haematopus ater
Vieillot & Oudart, 1825
South America
Haematopus ater map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Black oystercatcher

Black Oystercatcher.jpg

Haematopus bachmani
Audubon, 1838
West coast of North America
Haematopus bachmani map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


American oystercatcher

American Oystercatcher.jpg

Haematopus palliatus
Temminck, 1820
North and South America
Haematopus palliatus map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 



Canary Islands oystercatcher

Canarian Oystercatcher.jpg

Haematopus meadewaldoi
Bannerman, 1913
Canary Islands Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 EX 


African oystercatcher

African Black Oystercatcher (2).JPG

Haematopus moquini
(Bonaparte, 1856)
Southern Africa
Population and breeding range of the African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini.jpg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Eurasian oystercatcher
or Palaearctic oystercatcher

Haematopus ostralegus He.jpg

Haematopus ostralegus
Linnaeus, 1758

Four subspecies
  • H. o. ostralegus Linnaeus, 1758
  • H. o. longipes Buturlin, 1910
  • H. o. buturlini Dementiev, 1941
  • H. o. osculans Swinhoe, 1871
Europe, Asia and northern Africa
Haematopus ostralegus distr.png
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 NT 


Pied oystercatcher

Pied Oystercatcher.jpg

Haematopus longirostris
Vieillot, 1817
Australia
Haematopus longirostris dist.png
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 



South Island oystercatcher

South Island pied oystercatcher 2c.JPG

Haematopus finschi
Martens, 1897
New Zealand
Haematopus finschi dist.png
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Chatham oystercatcher

Chatham Island Oystercatcher (Haematopus chathamensis).jpg

Haematopus chathamensis
Hartert, 1927
Chatham Islands Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 EN 


Variable oystercatcher

Variable Oystercatcher.jpg

Haematopus unicolor
(Forster, 1844)
New Zealand
Haematopus unicolor dist.png
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Sooty oystercatcher

Sooty Oystercatcher.jpg

Haematopus fuliginosus
Gould, 1845
Australia
Haematopus fuliginosus dist.gif
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 




Several fossil species are known, including Haematopus sulcatus (Brodkorb, 1955) from the Barstovian of Florida and Zanclean of North Carolina, and which is evidently considered a synonym of the extant species Haematopus palliatus. [14]

Related Research Articles

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

The four species of avocets are a genus, Recurvirostra, of waders in the same avian family as the stilts. The genus name comes from Latin recurvus, 'curved backwards' and rostrum, 'bill'. The common name is thought to derive from the Italian (Ferrarese) word avosetta. Francis Willughby in 1678 noted it as the "Avosetta of the Italians".

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

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

The black-winged stilt is a widely distributed, very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family Recurvirostridae. Its scientific name, Himantopus himantopus, is sometimes used to generalize a single, almost cosmopolitan species. Alternatively, it is restricted to the form that is widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa, which equals the nominate group of H. himantopussensu lato. Meanwhile, the black-necked and white-backed stilts both inhabit the Americas; the pied stilt ranges from Australasia and New Zealand. Today, most sources accept between one and four actual species.

<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

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

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

The red phalarope or grey phalarope is a small wader. This phalarope breeds in the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia. It is migratory, and, unusually for a wader, migrates mainly on oceanic routes, wintering at sea on tropical oceans.

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

The Eurasian stone-curlew, Eurasian thick-knee, or simply stone-curlew is a northern species of the Burhinidae (stone-curlew) bird family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great spotted cuckoo</span> Species of bird

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spur-winged lapwing</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">African oystercatcher</span> Large near-threatened wading species of bird resident 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.

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<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">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">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.

In the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, published in 1758, the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus described 554 species of bird and gave each a binomial name.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hockey, P (1996). "Family Haematopodidae (Oystercatchers)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. (editors). Handbook of the Birds of the World . Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions. ISBN   84-87334-20-2.
  2. Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 152.
  3. Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 184. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. Belon, Pierre (1555). L'histoire de la natvre des oyseavx : avec levrs descriptions, & naïfs portraicts retirez du natvrel, escrite en sept livres (in French). Paris: Gilles Corrozet. p. 203.
  5. Bonaparte, Charles Lucien (1838). "Synopsis vertebratorum systematis". Nuovi Annali delle Scienze Naturali, Bologna (in Latin). 2: 105–133 [118].
  6. Bock, Walter J. (1994). History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Vol. 222. New York: American Museum of Natural History. pp. 139, 229. hdl:2246/830.
  7. 1 2 Lockwood, W.B. (1984). The Oxford Book of British Bird Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 113. ISBN   978-0-19-214155-2.
  8. Catesby, Mark (1729–1732). The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (in English and French). Vol. 1. London: W. Innys and R. Manby. p. 85.
  9. Yarrell, William (1845). A History of British Birds. Vol. 2. London: J. Van Voorst. p. 496.
  10. Pennant, Thomas (1776). British Zoology v.2. London: Benjamin White. pp. 482–483.
  11. John B. Dunning Jr. (1992). CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses. CRC Press. p. 98. ISBN   978-0-8493-4258-5.
  12. "Birds Dumping Eggs on the Neighbors". Sciencedaily.com. 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
  13. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Buttonquail, thick-knees, sheathbills, plovers, oystercatchers, stilts, painted-snipes, jacanas, Plains-wanderer, seedsnipes". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  14. Haematopus palliatus Temminick 1820 (American oystercatcher) at FossilWorks