Eurasian Oystercatcher

The Eurasian Oystercatcher is a large, striking shorebird with crisp black-and-white plumage: a black head, neck, and upperparts set sharply against a white belly and a bold white wing-stripe visible in flight. Its long, straight bill is a bright orange-red, and its legs are stout and pink.

One of the most familiar large shorebirds across European coastlines, it also increasingly breeds inland on farmland and riverbanks in parts of its range.

Key field marks

• Sharply defined black-and-white plumage
• White wing-stripe visible in flight
• Long, straight, bright orange bill
• Stout pink legs
• Red eye-ring

Similar species

The American Oystercatcher has brown, not black, upperparts and a less sharply pied pattern. The Black Oystercatcher is entirely black with no white.

Habitat

Coastal beaches, rocky shores, estuaries, and mudflats, with increasing use of inland farmland and riverbanks for breeding in parts of its range.

Range and migration

Found across much of Europe and temperate Asia. Northern and inland populations migrate to milder coasts for winter, forming large wintering flocks on estuaries.

Behavior

Feeds on mussels, cockles, and other shellfish by either hammering open the shell or stabbing and twisting it open, with individuals often specializing in one technique; also probes inland fields for earthworms.

Voice

Loud, piping 'kleep-kleep' calls, often given during noisy communal displays known as piping.

Feeding

Mussels, cockles, other shellfish, and earthworms.

Nesting and breeding

Nests in a simple scrape on the ground, sometimes far from water on inland farmland or riverbanks.