Oystercatcher
An Oystercatcher mom and her chick sunning at Nickerson Beach in Long Island, NY.
A boldly patterned shorebird with red-yellow eyes and a vivid red-orange bill, American Oystercatchers survive almost exclusively on shellfish—clams, oysters, and other saltwater molluscs. Because of this specialized diet, oystercatchers live only in a narrow ecological zone of saltmarshes and barrier beaches.
American Oystercatchers are the only birds in their environment with the ability to open large molluscs such as clams and oysters (except for large gulls that drop clams onto pavement). Foraging oystercatchers often attract other birds eager to share (or steal from) the oystercatcher’s “raw bar,” including Willets, large gulls, and Ruddy Turnstones.
American Oystercatchers don’t always win out in their battles against oysters and clams. Occasionally, a shellfish gets its revenge by clamping down on an oystercatcher’s bill and holding the bird tight. When the tide comes back in, it can spell bad news for the would-be predator.
--- allaboutbirds.org
Oystercatcher
An Oystercatcher mom and her chick sunning at Nickerson Beach in Long Island, NY.
A boldly patterned shorebird with red-yellow eyes and a vivid red-orange bill, American Oystercatchers survive almost exclusively on shellfish—clams, oysters, and other saltwater molluscs. Because of this specialized diet, oystercatchers live only in a narrow ecological zone of saltmarshes and barrier beaches.
American Oystercatchers are the only birds in their environment with the ability to open large molluscs such as clams and oysters (except for large gulls that drop clams onto pavement). Foraging oystercatchers often attract other birds eager to share (or steal from) the oystercatcher’s “raw bar,” including Willets, large gulls, and Ruddy Turnstones.
American Oystercatchers don’t always win out in their battles against oysters and clams. Occasionally, a shellfish gets its revenge by clamping down on an oystercatcher’s bill and holding the bird tight. When the tide comes back in, it can spell bad news for the would-be predator.
--- allaboutbirds.org