The blackish oystercatcher (''Haematopus ater'') is a species of

wading bird 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

in the oystercatcher

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Haematopodidae. It is found in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, and is a

vagrant Vagrancy is the condition of homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants (also known as bums, vagabonds, rogues, tramps or drifters) usually live in poverty and support themselves by begging, scavenging, petty theft, temporar ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. The population is estimated at 15,000–80,000.

Description

The plumage of the blackish oystercatcher is slaty-black with wings and back being rather dark brown. The long bill is blood-red and the legs are white. The sexes are similar in appearance. The blackish oystercatcher is easily overlooked on a rocky shore. Its dark colour blends in with the colour of the rocks on which it walks as it forages, and it does not draw attention to itself. Its presence, however, can easily be detected by its loud and distinctive warning calls. The song of the blackish oystercatcher, when given in duet, consists of an excited chatter of piping whistles. Calls include notes that sound like "pip" and "peeeeyeeee".

Distribution and habitat

The blackish oystercatcher is native to the coasts of Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and Peru, and it is a vagrant to Uruguay. The natural habitats of the blackish oystercatcher are rocky shores. It feeds in the intertidal zone on rocky shorelines, in rockpools and on pebble beaches. Rarely, it can be found on sandy beaches hunting for

mole crab Hippoidea is a superfamily of decapod crustaceans known as sand crabs or mole crabs. Ecology Hippoids are adapted to burrowing into sandy beaches, a habit they share with raninid crabs, and the parallel evolution of the two groups is strikin ...

Status

The IUCN rates the blackish oystercatcher as being of "

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

". It is not clear whether the population is increasing or decreasing, but the bird has a very large range and a total population estimated to be somewhere between 15,000 and 80,000 individuals.

Gallery

File:A pair of Blackish oystercatchers Bahia Inglesa Chile.jpg, A pair feeding on some shellfish File:Haematopus ater.jpg, On a rock Haematopus ater MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.147.13.jpg, ''Haematopus ater'' - MHNT

References

* Mundo Azul 2011
Mundo Azul species profile sheet: Blackish oystercatcher
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1048773 blackish oystercatcher Western South American coastal birds Birds of Chile Birds of the Falkland Islands Birds of Patagonia Birds of Peru Birds of Tierra del Fuego blackish oystercatcher Taxonomy articles created by Polbot blackish oystercatcher

Description

Distribution and habitat

Status

Gallery

See also

References