Scientific name:

Haematopus longirostris

(Vieillot 1817)
Haematopus – Latin; haematopus bloodfoot – from the Greek; haima blood; pous foot.
longirostris – Latin; longus long; –rostris -billed (rostrum bill).

Pied Oystercatcher

Pied Oystercatcher Fact File

Distribution: coastal Australia and Moluccas

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Subspecies: None – Monotypic

Current conservation efforts

Together with the Sooty Oystercatcher, Beach Stone-curlew, Red-capped Plover and Hooded Plover, the Pied Oystercatcher is protected as part of BirdLife Australia’s “Beach-nesting Birds project”. This long running project was established in 2006 to:

  • Raise awareness among beach users about beach-nesting birds
  • Train local volunteers to monitor beach-nesting birds, identify threats and improve management
  • Protect eggs and chicks through temporary fencing, signage, artificial shelters
  • Research new ways of protecting birds and improving breeding success

Read more about how this excellent incentive is helping these beach-nesting birds:

 

Pied Oystercatcher protected by Birdlife Australia

 

Gallery

 

 

All photographs taken by Elis Simpson – Wader Quest