Family HAEMATOPODIDAE Bonaparte, 1838

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Introduction

The oystercatchers are generally large, primarily black or black and white birds with reddish beaks and legs. They are cosmopolitan through the tropics and temperate zones. Within Australia, the family is restricted to the coastal marine regions. Eleven species are recognised in a monophyletic genus. Three of these species occur in Australia where they are represented by four ultrataxa. Oystercatchers occupy niches that utilise sandy beaches, rocky marine ledges and offshore islands. They will occasionally visit grassy pastures, but unlike their foreign associates, pastures are not regularly inhabited.

The Australian taxa are sedentary although nomadic movements are indicated during cooler months. They are gregarious and occur in pairs or small flocks that appear highly agitated following disturbance. They call constantly if aroused and move rapidly from any disturbance by either running or taking flight. Oystercatchers are marine-edge-feeders, principally probing for marine invertebrates.

Oystercatcher nests are placed in ground depressions and differ according to the species. The nests of the dark Sooty Oystercatcher, Haematopus fuliginosus, are placed among rocks or beach debris. The Pied Oystercatcher H. longirostris, places its nest on sandy beaches, occasionally near beach debris. H. finschii nests in New Zealand and Australian records are few. The nest depression is rarely lined with a few strands of weed. Both species lay two oval eggs that have a base colour of creamy white and are heavily marked with darker splotches, spots and dots over the entire surface but often more concentrated at the larger end. Their young, as with other Charadriiformes, are precocial, nidifugous and ptilopaedic.

A short summary of the family is given by Christidis & Boles (2008: 130).

Excluded Taxa

Vagrant Species

CAVS:0744
HAEMATOPODIDAE: Haematopus finschi G.H. Martens, 1897 [South Island Pied Oystercatcher; vagrant to NSW] — Clayton, M., Wombey, J.C., Mason, I.J., Chesser, R.T. & Wells, A. 2006. CSIRO List of Australian Vertebrates: A Reference with Conservation Status. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing iv 162 pp. [58]; Christidis, L. & Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing 288 pp. [131]

CAVS:8065
HAEMATOPODIDAE: Haematopus ostralegus Linnaeus, 1758 [Eurasian Oystercatcher]

General References

Christidis, L. & Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing 288 pp.

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