African Oystercatcher
Haematopus moquini
The African Oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini) is a uncommon oystercatcher found in 3 countries, weighing about 692 g. The African oystercatcher or African black oystercatcher is a large charismatic wader resident to the mainland coasts and offshore islands of southern Africa.
About the African Oystercatcher
The African oystercatcher or African black oystercatcher is a large charismatic wader resident to the mainland coasts and offshore islands of southern Africa. This 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.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The African oystercatcher is a large, noisy wader, with completely black plumage, red legs and a strong broad red bill. The sexes are similar in appearance, however, females are larger and have a slightly longer beak than males. Juveniles have soft grey plumage and do not express the characteristic red legs and beak until after they fledge. The call is a distinctive loud piping, very similar to Eurasian oystercatchers. As the Eurasian oystercatcher is a migratory species they only occur as a vagrant in southern Africa, and its black-and-white plumage makes confusion impossible.
Where it lives
When to see it
The African Oystercatcher can be seen all year round, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an African Oystercatcher?
- The African oystercatcher is a large, noisy wader, with completely black plumage, red legs and a strong broad red bill. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an African Oystercatcher?
- The African Oystercatcher is a large sized bird weighing about 692 g.
- Where can you see an African Oystercatcher?
- The African Oystercatcher occurs in 3 countries, including South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique.
- What birds look similar to an African Oystercatcher?
- The African Oystercatcher is most easily confused with the South Island Oystercatcher, the Blackish Oystercatcher and the Sooty Oystercatcher.
- Is the African Oystercatcher endangered?
- The African Oystercatcher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the African Oystercatcher for real
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