BIRDS of THE WORLD - An Online Bird Book
SHOREBIRDS
Most
Shorebirds walk along shores probing for food with their thin sensitive bills. Bill length varies considerably so differing species can work the same shore and obtain different
food supplies. Shorebirds include sandpipers, godwits, stilts, oystercatchers, plovers, and many more. Shorebirds belong to the
Charadriiformes order which also includes the
Gulls
and Allies.
Note: the term Shorebirds is used in the Americas; elsewhere "waders" is used. We will reserve "waders" for herons and allies.
Some
Charadriiformes families:
Burhinidae:
thick-knees;
Charadriidae:
small plovers,
lapwings;
Glareolidae:
courses, pratincoles;
Haematopodidae:
oystercatchers
Jacanidae:
jacanas;
Recurvirostridae:
avocets, stilts;
Scolopacidae:
small bill sandpipers,
large bill sandpipers.
Oystercatchers
Order Charadriiformes Family Haematopodidae - 1 genus
Oystercatchers have long and thick orange or red bills. The bill shape varies between species, according to the diet. Those birds with blade-like bill tips pry open or smash mollusc shells, and those with pointed bill tips probe for worms and larvae. They have black upperparts and white or black underparts.
Genus Haematopus
Oystercatcher,_African (Black) Haematopus moquini Found: Africa
Image by:
1, 2, 3 ) Dick Daniels - De Hoop, South Africa 5)
Dick - Plettenberg Bay, South Africa 4)
Sandy Cole - De Hoop, South Africa 6)
Cristiano Crolle - Paternoster, South Africa
![](../Daniels/SouthAfrica/PhotosSmall/Oystercatcher, African Black DeHoop3.jpg)
![](../Daniels/SouthAfrica/PhotosSmall/Oystercatcher, African Black DeHoop2.jpg)
![](../Daniels/SouthAfrica/PhotosSmall/Oystercatcher, African Black DeHoop1.jpg)
![](../Daniels/SouthAfrica/PhotosSmall/Oystercatcher, African Black DeHoop Sandy1.jpg)
![](../Daniels/SouthAfrica/PhotosSmall/Oystercatcher, African Black Plettenbergbay.jpg)
Oystercatcher,_American Haematopus palliatus Found: The Americas
Image by:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Dick Daniels - North Carolina 7, 8)
Nick Athanas - Ecuador, Chile 9)
Dick - Chile
![](../Daniels1SM/oystercatcher, american 01-13.jpg)
![](../Daniels1SM/Oystercatcher, American 10-08-2009 Sunset Beach.jpg)
![](../Daniels1SM/oystercatcher, american 10-11 g.jpg)
![](../Daniels1SM/oystercatcher, american 03-14 f.jpg)
![](../Daniels1SM/oystercatcher, american 03-25f1.jpg)
![](../Daniels2SM/Oystercatcher,_American_eggs.jpg)
![](../People/AthanasSM/Oystercatcher,_American_Nick_Athanas_eq2.jpg)
![](../People/AthanasSM/Oystercatcher,_American_Nick_Athanas_eq.jpg)
Oystercatcher,_Black also
American Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani Found: North America (west coast)
Image by:
1, 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - California 5)
Becky_Matsubara - CA
![](../Daniels1SM/oystercatcher, black 06-06 b CA.jpg)
![](../Daniels2SM/Oystercatcher,_Black_HMB3.jpg)
![](../Daniels2SM/Oystercatcher,_Black_HMB4.jpg)
![](../Daniels3SM/Oystercatcher,_Black_HMB.jpg)
Oystercatcher,_Blackish Haematopus ater Found: South America
Image by: 1, 2, 3)
Nick Athanas - Peru, Peru, Falkland Islands 4)
Dick Daniels 5) Charlie Westerinen - Argentina 6)
Francesco Veronesi - Chile
1) Juvenile and adult
![](../People/AthanasSM/Oystercatcher,_Blackish_Nick_Athanas_eq2.jpg)
![](../People/AthanasSM/Oystercatcher,_Blackish_Nick_Athanas_eq.jpg)
![](../Daniels/ChileSM/Oystercatcher,_Blackish2.jpg)
![](../People/Westerinen/WesterinenSM/Oystercatcher,_Blackish.jpg)
Oystercatcher,_Chatham Haematopus chathamensis Found: Chatham Islands, New Zealand
Image by: 1)
Peter Crosson 2)
Bret Stevenson
![](../Images2SM/Oystercatcher,_Chatham_PeterCrosson.jpg)
Oystercatcher,_Eurasian also
Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
Image by: 1)
John Haslam 2) Charlie Westerinen - Reine, Norway 3)
Dick Daniels - Scotland 4)
Smudge_9000 5)
Andreas_Trepte 6)
Cristiano Crolle - Texel, Holland
![](../Images2SM/Oystercatcher, Eurasian John Haslam.jpg)
![](../People/Westerinen/WesterinenSM/oystercatcher, eurasian Charlie Westerinen.jpg)
![](../Daniels/GreatBritain/PhotosSmall/oystercatcher 06-02b SCOT.jpg)
![](../Images4SM/Oystercatcher,_Eurasian_Smudge_9000.jpg)
![](../People/TrepteSM/Oystercatcher,_Eurasian_Andreas_Trepte.jpg)
Oystercatcher,_Magellanic Haematopus leucopodus Found: South America (Argentina, Chile, Falkland Islands)
Image by: 1, 2, 3)
Nick Athanas - Chile, Argentina, Argentian 4)
D Faulder - the Falkland Islands 5)
Brian Ralphs - Patagonia
6) Charlie Westerinen - Begal Channel of south Argentina 7)
Elizabeth Oliver
1) Oystercatcher and Hudsonian Godwit
![](../People/AthanasSM/Oystercatcher,_Magellanic_Nick_Athanas_eq.jpg)
![](../People/AthanasSM/Oystercatcher,_Magellanic_Nick_Athanas_eq3.jpg)
![](../People/FaulderSM/Oystercatcher, Magellanic dFaulder.jpg)
![](../People/RalphsBrianSM/Oystercatcher,_Magellanic_BrianRalphs.jpg)
![](../People/Westerinen/WesterinenSM/Oystercatcher, Magellanic.jpg)
Oystercatcher,_Pied Haematopus longirostris Found:
Australia
Image by:
1, 3) Laurie_Boyle 2
) Dick Daniels - Australia 4)
JJ
- Tasmania, Australia
![](../People/Boyle_SM/Oystercatcher,_Pied_Laurie_Boyle2.jpg)
![](../Daniels/Australasia/PhotosSmall/Oystercatcher, pied Cairns 8.jpg)
![](../People/Boyle_SM/Oystercatcher,_Pied_Laurie_Boyle.jpg)
Oystercatcher,_Sooty Haematopus fuliginosus Found: Australasia
Image by:
1, 2) JJ Harrison - Tasmania, Australia 3)
Glen
Fergus on Ladt Elliot Island, Australia 4)
Charlie Westerinen - Wollongong, Australia 5)
Andrej_Chudy - New Zealand
![](../People/HarrisonJJ_SM/Oystercatcher, Sooty Noodle Snacks.jpg)
![](../People/HarrisonJJ_SM/Oystercatcher,_Sooty_TasmaniaAustralia_JJ_Harrison.jpg)
![](../People/FergusSM/Oystercatcher, Sooty Glen Fergus.jpg)
![](../People/Westerinen/WesterinenSM/Oystercatcher,_Sooty_CharlieWesterinen.jpg)
Oystercatcher,_South Island also
South Island Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus finschi Found: New Zealand
Image by: 1)
Paul Davey - New Zealand 2)
Sid_Mosdell 3, 4) Seabird NZ
![](../Images2SM/Oystercatcher, South Island Pied Paul Davey.jpg)
![](../Images4SM/Oystercatcher,_South Island_Sid_Mosdell.jpg)
![](../Images2SM/Oystercatcher,_South_Island_SeabirdNZ.jpg)
Oystercatcher,_Variable Haematopus unicolor Endemic to New Zealand
Image by:
1, 2, 3,
4) Dick Daniels - New Zealand 2)
Bernard_Spragg
1, 2) Black variant 3, 4) Mottled variant
![](../Daniels/Australasia/PhotosSmall/oystercatcher, variable NZ2.jpg)
![](../Images4SM/Oystercatcher,_Variable_Bernard_Spragg.jpg)
![](../Daniels/Australasia/PhotosSmall/oystercatcher, variable NZ4.jpg)
More Oystercatchers - Cape Fear River, March 25, 2008
This family has only one genus, and that has only one species.
Genus Ibidorhyncha - 1 species
Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii Found: central Asia
Image by:
1, 2) Ron Knight 3)
Vishal Sabharwal - India 4)
Koshy_Koshy
![](../People/KnightRonSM/Ibisbill_RonKnight.jpg)
![](../People/KnightRonSM/Ibisbill_Ron_Knight2.jpg)
![](../IMAGE11SM/Ibisbill_Mohanram_Kemparaju.jpg)