Sooty oystercatcher

Last updated

Sooty oystercatcher
Haematopus fuliginosus - Doughboy Head.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Haematopodidae
Genus: Haematopus
Species:
H. fuliginosus
Binomial name
Haematopus fuliginosus
Gould, 1845

The sooty oystercatcher (Haematopus fuliginosus) 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

John Gould described the sooty oystercatcher in 1845. Its species name is the Latin adjective fuliginosus, "sooty". Two subspecies are recognised, the nominate from the coastline of southern Australia and subspecies ophthalmicus from northern Australia. The southern subspecies is larger and heavier than the northern. [2] The northern one, with a more yellowish eye ring, is found from the Kimberleys across the top of the country to Mackay in central Queensland. There is considerable overlap, as the southern subspecies has been found up to Cape York. [3] Subspecies ophthalmicus has been thought distinctive enough to warrant species status and needs further investigation. [4] Black redbill is a local name. [5]

Description

Mooloolaba, Australia
Sooty oystercatcher eggs in a nest on the south coast of New South Wales Sooty Oystercatcher eggs.jpg
Sooty oystercatcher eggs in a nest on the south coast of New South Wales

Measuring 42 to 52 cm (16.5 to 20.5 in) long with a bill length of 5–8 cm (2–3 in), the sooty oystercatcher has all black plumage, [5] with pink-red legs and scarlet or orange-red bill and eyes. [3] The heaviest of all oystercatchers, the sooty oystercatcher weighs up to 980 g (2.16 lb), averaging around 819 g (1.806 lb), [6] with females larger and heavier in both subspecies. [2] Males have shorter, thicker bills and females have longer, thinner bills. The 19% average difference in length is the most marked of any oystercatcher species. [7] Immature birds have grey-brown legs, a bill tipped with brown, a browner cast to their plumage, [5] and brown eyes. The bill, eyes and legs become red by the second year. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Preferring rocky shores, the sooty oystercatcher is endemic to Australia. There are an estimated 11,500 individuals, 4000 of the nominate race and 7500 of the northern race. [3] It is common around the Tasmanian coastline and Bass Strait islands. [8] However it is declared Rare in South Australia and Queensland, Near Threatened in Victoria and Endangered in New South Wales. [9]

Feeding

The sooty oystercatcher almost always forages in the intertidal zone, for the two hours either side of low tide. [7] A field study published in 2011 showed that prey items differed markedly between the sexes with only a 36% overlap. Females focussed on soft-bodied prey which they could swallow whole such as fish, crabs, bluebottle jellyfish and various worm-like creatures such as cunjevoi, while males preferred hard-shelled prey such as mussels ( Mytilus planulatus ), sea urchins, turban shells ( Lunella undulata and Lunella torquata ), and black periwinkle ( Nerita atramentosa ). [7]

Breeding

A clutch of two to three eggs is laid in a crevice in rocks or small hollow or flat on the ground, often on an island or high place where parent birds can keep watch. Tapered oval in shape, the eggs are buff to beige with dark brown and lavender dots and splotches and measure 63 mm (2.5 in) long by 42 mm (1.7 in) wide. [10]

Related Research Articles

Oystercatcher 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.

Black currawong Large passerine bird endemic to Tasmania and Bass Strait islands

The black currawong, also known locally as the black jay, is a large passerine bird endemic to Tasmania and the nearby islands within the Bass Strait. One of three currawong species in the genus Strepera, it is closely related to the butcherbirds and Australian magpie within the family Artamidae. It is a large crow-like bird, around 50 cm (20 in) long on average, with yellow irises, a heavy bill, and black plumage with white wing patches. The male and female are similar in appearance. Three subspecies are recognised, one of which, Strepera fuliginosa colei of King Island, is vulnerable to extinction.

Pied currawong Medium-sized black passerine bird native to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island

The pied currawong is a black passerine bird native to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island. One of three currawong species in the genus Strepera, it is closely related to the butcherbirds and Australian magpie of the family Artamidae. Six subspecies are recognised. It is a robust crowlike bird averaging around 48 cm (19 in) in length, black or sooty grey-black in plumage with white undertail and wing patches, yellow irises, and a heavy bill. The male and female are similar in appearance. Known for its melodious calls, the species' name currawong is believed to be of indigenous origin.

Eurasian oystercatcher Species of bird

The Eurasian oystercatcher also known as the common pied oystercatcher, or palaearctic oystercatcher, or just oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It is the most widespread of the oystercatchers, with three races breeding in western Europe, central Eurosiberia, Kamchatka, China, and the western coast of Korea. No other oystercatcher occurs within this area. The extinct Canary Islands oystercatcher, formerly considered a distinct species, may have actually been an isolated subspecies or distinct population of the Eurasian oystercatcher.

African oystercatcher 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.

Black oystercatcher Species of bird

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

Pied oystercatcher 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.

Chatham oystercatcher Species of bird

The Chatham oystercatcher or Chatham Island 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.

Canary Islands oystercatcher 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, Spain. It is now considered to be extinct.

Weebill Species of bird

The weebill is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is an insectivorous passerine that is found throughout mainland Australia. At 8 to 9 cm long, it is Australia's smallest bird. It was originally described by John Gould in 1838, and four subspecies are recognised. The weebill's plumage is nondescript, with olive-grey upperparts and paler, more yellowish underparts. It grades from more brownish plumage in the southern regions of Australia to more yellow in tropical areas.

South Island oystercatcher Species of bird

The South Island oystercatcher or South Island pied oystercatcher is one of the two common oystercatchers 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.

Inland dotterel Species of bird

The inland dotterel is an endemic shorebird of the arid Australian interior. It forms loose flocks in sparsely vegetated gibber plain and claypans in the day where it loafs in the shade and eats shoots of shrubs. It is most often encountered at night when it forages on roads for insects. The relative remoteness of its habitat means that it is not well studied. The most detailed observations of the species were made by the South African arid-zone ornithology specialist Gordon Maclean in the 1970s. Alternate English names include Australian plover, inland plover, desert plover and prairie plover.

Variable oystercatcher 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'.

Black-backed butcherbird Species of bird

The black-backed butcherbird is a species of bird in the family Artamidae. It is found in southern New Guinea and Cape York Peninsula.

Red-headed myzomela A passerine bird of the honeyeater family, found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea

The red-headed myzomela or red-headed honeyeater is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It was described by John Gould in 1840. Two subspecies are recognised, with the nominate race M. e. erythrocephala distributed around the tropical coastline of Australia, and M. e. infuscata in New Guinea. Though widely distributed, it is not abundant within this range. While the IUCN lists the Australian population of M. e. infuscata as being near threatened, as a whole the widespread range means that its conservation is of least concern.

Australian pratincole Species of bird

The Australian pratincole is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. It breeds in Australia's interior; it winters to northern and eastern parts of the continent, Indonesia and New Guinea. It is a medium-sized nomadic shorebird which is commonly found in arid inland Australia. It breeds predominantly from south-western Queensland to northern Victoria and through central Australia to the Kimberley region in Western Australia. The Australian population is estimated at 60,000 individuals. They are a migratory species that generally move to the southern parts of their distribution range to breed during spring and summer. During winter they migrate to northern Australia, New Guinea, Java, Sulawesi and southern Borneo to over-winter. Although they are common, their occurrence is unpredictable and varies in location.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International. (2016). Haematopus fuliginosus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693663A93417538.en
  2. 1 2 Hansen, B. D.; Minton, C. D. T.; Jessop, R.; Collins, P. (2009). "Biometrics, sexing criteria, age-structure and moult of Sooty Oystercatchers in south-eastern and north-western Australia". Emu. 109: 25–33. doi:10.1071/MU07045. S2CID   83482876.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Geering, Andrew; Agnew, Lindsay; Harding, Sandra (2007). Shorebirds of Australia. Collingwood, Victoria: Csiro Publishing. ISBN   978-0643103009.
  4. ↑ Christidis, Les; Boles, Walter E. (2008). Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. Canberra: CSIRO Publishing. p. 131. ISBN   978-0-643-06511-6.
  5. 1 2 3 South Coast Shorebird Recovery Program. "Sooty Oystercatcher" (PDF). Threatened Species Information. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  6. ↑ Dunning, John B. Jr. (1992). CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses. CRC Press. p. 98. ISBN   978-0-8493-4258-5.
  7. 1 2 3 Aplin, Lucy Margaret; Cockburn, Andrew (2012). "Ecological Selection and Sexual Dimorphism in the Sooty Oystercatcher, Haematopus fuliginosus". Austral Ecology. 37 (2): 248–57. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2011.02263.x.
  8. ↑ "Sooty Oystercatcher, Haematopus fuliginosus". Nature & Conservation. Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Tasmanian Government. 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  9. ↑ NSW Scientific Committee (May 2008). "Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus: Review of Current Information in NSW" (PDF). Hurstville, NSW. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  10. ↑
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.