The Black Oystercatcher is an all black wading bird of western North America with a striking red bill. It has pink legs, a red eye-ring and yellow iris.
It lives almost entirely on the coast. As with other wading birds, it will take food off the surface as well using its long bill to reach the morsels that it wants. It will often snatch and grab and then fly to avoid a wave crashing on the rocks.
Classification:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Haematopodidae
Genus: Haematopus
Species: H. bachmani
Photos:
Black Oystercatcher
"A wave breaks against the rocks while a Black Oystercatcher feeds at Coleman Park, Morro Bay, California"
Black Oystercatcher in flight
