About the Sooty Oystercatcher
The sooty oystercatcher is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird endemic to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. It prefers rocky coastlines, but will occasionally live in estuaries. All of its feathers are black. It has a red eye, eye ring and bill, and pink legs.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
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.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in January · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
South Island OystercatcherHaematopus finschiThe 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.
African OystercatcherHaematopus moquiniThe African oystercatcher is a large, noisy wader, with completely black plumage, red legs and a strong broad red bill.
Variable OystercatcherHaematopus unicolor"Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black.
Learn the Sooty Oystercatcher for real
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