Black Oystercatcher

The Black Oystercatcher is a large, entirely sooty-black shorebird (with a slightly browner tinge on the belly) found exclusively along rocky Pacific coastlines. Its long, straight bill is a vivid orange-red, its legs pale pink, and its eye yellow with a reddish-orange eye-ring.

As a species that depends entirely on rocky intertidal habitat, it serves as a useful indicator of the health of that ecosystem along the North American west coast.

Key field marks

• Entirely black to blackish-brown plumage, no white anywhere
• Long, straight, bright orange bill
• Pale pink legs
• Yellow eye with a reddish-orange eye-ring

Similar species

The American Oystercatcher has a white belly and back and occupies a largely different range; no other Pacific coast shorebird shares the Black Oystercatcher's all-black plumage and bright orange bill.

Habitat

Rocky shorelines, offshore rocks, and small islands.

Range and migration

Found along the Pacific coast of North America from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska south to Baja California. Largely non-migratory, with only local movement in winter.

Behavior

Forages almost exclusively on wave-washed rocky shores, strongly tied to rocky intertidal habitat and rarely found on sandy beaches.

Voice

Loud, piercing whistled calls.

Feeding

Mussels, limpets, chitons, and other invertebrates pried or pounded loose from rocks.

Nesting and breeding

Nests in a scrape on rocky ground or gravel near the shoreline, often on small offshore islands away from mammalian predators.