Oystercatcher

The Oystercatchers are a group of waders in the family Haematopodidae . They are large obvious and noisy plover-like birds, with strong flattened bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.

They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions. They are all-black, black and white or brown and white in appearance.

Their eggs are laid in a shallow scrape on shingle.

• ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES
• Suborder Charadrii: waders
  • Family Thinocoridae: seedsnipe
  • Family Pedionomidae: Plains Wanderer
  • Family Scolopacidae: snipe, sandpipers, phalaropes, and allies
  • Family Rostratulidae: painted snipe
  • Family Jacanidae: jacanas
  • Family Chionididae: sheathbills
  • Family Burhinidae: thick-knees
  • Family Haematopodidae
    • Western Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani
    • American Pied Oystercatcher H. palliatus
    • Common Pied Oystercatcher H. ostralegus
    • Canarian Black Oystercatcher H. meadewaldoi
    • African Black Oystercatcher H. moquini
    • Variable Oystercatcher H. unicolor
    • Magellanic Oystercatcher H. leucopodus
    • Sooty Oystercatcher H. fuliginosus
    • Blackish Oystercatcher H. ater
    • Chatham Islands Oystercatcher H. chathamensis
  • Family Recurvirostridae: avocets
  • Family Ibidorhynchidae: Ibisbill
  • Family Charadriidae plovers and lapwings
  • Family Pluvianellidae: Magellanic Plover
  • Family Dromadidae: Crab Plover
  • Family Glareolidae: pratincoles and coursers
• Suborder Lari: gulls and allies; 4 families
• Suborder Alcae: auks; 1 family