Sooty Oystercatcher vs South Island Oystercatcher

Sooty Oystercatcher

Haematopus fuliginosus

Large819 gCoastal

Measuring 42 to 52 cm (16.5 to 20.5 in) long with a bill length of 5–8 cm (2–3 in), the sooty oystercatcher has all black plumage, with pink-red legs and scarlet or orange-red bill and eyes. The heaviest of all oystercatchers, the sooty oystercatcher weighs up to 980 g (2.16 lb), averaging around 819 g (1.806 lb), with females larger and heavier in both subspecies. Males have shorter, thicker bills and females have longer, thinner bills. The 19% average difference in length is the most marked of any oystercatcher species.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: patrickkavanagh · CC BY 2.0

South Island Oystercatcher

Haematopus finschi

Large526 gCoastal

The South Island oystercatcher is easily identifiable as a pied oystercatcher – a large wader with striking black and white plumage, long red-orange bill, and red legs. It is distinguished from the pied morph of the variable oystercatcher by a white lower back, more white on the wing, and a demarcation line of black and white further forward on the breast, and from the pied oystercatcher of Australia by a longer bill and shorter legs, as well as the forward demarcation line of white on the back being pointed rather than square. It is 46 cm in length; its wingspan is 80–86 cm; it weighs 550 g. Voice: It has piping calls, which are used socially and aggressively, as well as a piercing alarm call and a quiet flight call.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Pwhdavey - Paul Davey · CC BY 3.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Sooty Oystercatcher and South Island Oystercatcher.