| African Oystercatcher | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Haematopodidae |
| Genus: | Haematopus |
| Species: | H. moquini |
| Binomial name | |
| Haematopus moquini (Bonaparte, 1856) |
|
The African Oystercatcher or African Black Oystercatcher, (Haematopus moquini) is a large wader which is a resident breeder on the rocky coasts and islands of southern Africa. This oystercatcher has a population of less than 5,000 adults.
The African Black Oystercatcher is a large and noisy plover-like bird, with completely black plumage, red legs and a strong broad red bill used for smashing or prying open molluscs such as mussels, or for finding earthworms. The sexes are similar in appearance, however, females have a slightly longer beak than males. Juveniles are browner than adults.
The African Black Oystercatcher is unmistakable in flight with its all-dark plumage. The call is a distinctive loud piping, very similar to Common Pied Oystercatcher. That migratory species can occur as a vagrant in southern Africa, but its black-and-white plumage makes confusion impossible.
The nest is a bare scrape on pebbles or shingles. The female generally lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated by both adults.
The scientific name commemorates the French naturalist Alfred Moquin-Tandon.
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