Eurasian oystercatcher

The Eurasian oystercatcher was listed by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Haemotopus ostralegus. The genus name Haematopus combines the Ancient Greek haima αἷμα meaning "blood" and pous πούς meaning "foot". The specific epithet ostralegus combines the Latin ostrea meaning "oyster" and legere meaning "to gather". The name "oyster catcher" was coined by Mark Catesby in 1731 as a common name for the North American species H. palliatus, described as eating oysters. The subspecies H. o. osculans lacks white on the shafts of the outer 2–3 primaries and has no white on the outer webs of the outer five primaries; but has not yet been formally recognised as such. ==Description==

, Scotland The oystercatcher is one of the largest waders in the region. It is long, the bill accounting for , and has a wingspan of . ==Distribution and migration==

The oystercatcher is a migratory species over most of its range. The European population breeds mainly in northern Europe, but in winter the birds can be found in north Africa and southern parts of Europe. Although the species is present all year in Ireland, Great Britain and the adjacent European coasts, there is still migratory movement; the large flocks that are found in the estuaries of south-west England in winter mainly breed in northern England or Scotland. Similar movements are shown by the Asian populations. The birds are highly gregarious outside the breeding season. It is a rare vagrant as far south as southern Africa, where it can occur together with the all-black African oystercatcher. It is commonly found in lowland plains (< 200 m a.s.l.) that are flat, have short vegetation, and are close to water. ==Breeding==

collection, Muséum de Toulouse The mating system is monogamous and the pair-bond usually lasts for many years. They first breed when they are between three and five years of age. The nest is a bare scrape on pebbles, on the coast or on inland gravelly islands. Two to four eggs are laid. On average the eggs are in size and weigh . They are buffish-yellow in colour with black-brown blotches and streaks. Beginning after the last egg is laid, they are incubated by both parents and hatch synchronously after 24–27 days. The young are precocial and nidifugous. They are brooded by both parents and leave the nest after one or two days. They are fed by both parents. Only one brood is raised in a season. Both eggs and chicks are highly cryptic. Similar to many other ground nesters, they defend the nest by attacking aerial predators (such as ravens) in the air, while they deal with ground threats via distraction. When not foraging, the male commonly stands guard and will often be the first (and more adamant) to react, but the female will also leave the nest to take part. The pair will repeatedly vocalise to try to get the threat to pursue them away from the nest. If the threat is particularly close to the nest, they may make short low distraction flights, or even feign injuries. However, with repeated exposure to a particular threat (such as a human), they tend to become somewhat accustomed to them and not as prone to react, with the female often not even leaving the nest. ==Status==

Because of its large numbers and readily identified behaviour, the oystercatcher is an important indicator species for the health of the ecosystems where it congregates. Extensive long-term studies have been carried out on its foraging behaviour in northern Germany, the Netherlands, and particularly on the River Exe estuary in south-west England. These studies form an important part of the foundation for the modern discipline of behavioural ecology. It is a long-lived bird; an adult (at least three years old) ringed in England in 1982 was recaptured in 2025, 43 years after ringing, making it at least 46 years old. ==Gallery==

Haematopus ostralegus (non-breeding plumage).jpg|Non-breeding plumage with white collar Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) adult feeding with juvenile.jpg|Parent with chick, Skomer Island Haematopus ostralegus -Scotland -nesting-8.jpg|Nesting, Dornoch (Scotland) Haematopus_ostralegus-pjt3.jpg|Four adults in flight (Hamburger Hallig, North Frisia) Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus).jpg|Heligoland Strandskata - (Haematopus ostralegus) - Ystad-2024.jpg|Only three weeks old and fully ready to fly. Far Eastern Oystercatcher, Tangshan, Hebei, China 1.jpg|H. o. osculans in flight, Hebei, China ==References==