Oystercatchers

I really don’t like the name Oystercatcher. It’s not so much a name as a feeding strategy, and Oysters don’t really require a lot of catching, as they are largely immobile. I do rather like Oystercatchers though, they’re very sweet little birds, and it always makes me smile when they fly past with their distinct piping call.

New Zealand has two species of mainland Oystercatchers – Variable (Haematopus unicolour) and South Island Pied (Haematopus finschi). The problem with the Variable variety is that they vary from being completely black to being quite similar to the South Island Pied. However, they are generally heavier and have a shorter bill, thicker legs, and lack white tab above the wings like South Island Pieds. The abundance of dark morphs is different throughout New Zealand, with more in the lower latitudes.

While we were in Paihia we had the opportunity to photograph both species, as South Island Pieds migrate north for the winter. It was a good opportunity to observe the differences between them!

Variable Oystercatcher - pied morph — Variable Oystercatcher – Pied morph

South Island Pied and Variable Oystercatcher – Dark morph

We had a few occasions to pursue them, although they weren’t our first choice! The Reef Heron that we had spied on the first evening failed to make a re-appearance, so instead we sat on rocks/lay flat on the beach and waited for them to wander past us. There was another skulking around the Terns, that provided the second photo. The rest of these photos were taken as wind howled around us on a muddy stretch of beach near Waitangi.

The Oystercatchers were foraging and prying apart shellfish. The Red-billed Gulls were behaving rather cheekily and swooping in just as the Oystercatcher had pulled the juicy insides out, trying to steal a bite! Every now and then there would be a scuffle, and the Oystercatchers were quite vocal about their feelings on the matter. It was also interesting to observe the larger Variables chasing the South Island Pieds away from choice shellfish and stealing their meals.