Black Oystercatcher

Haematopus bachmani

Pacific Coast specialist that pries limpets off wave-pounded rocks. Looks like a goth in a high-vis vest.

Population: ~8,900–11,000 individuals rangewide (Partners in Flight independently estimates ~10,000 breeding birds, corroborating this order of magnitude)
Habitat: Rocky intertidal shorelines — sea islets, jetties, breakwaters, and gravel/cobble beaches free of tall vegetation — where it forages on mussel- and barnacle-covered rocks exposed at low tide
Fun fact: Because it feeds almost exclusively on rocky-shore shellfish, the Black Oystercatcher is treated by biologists (Partners in Flight rates it 15/20 on the Continental Concern Score) as a keystone indicator species for the health of the Pacific intertidal ecosystem.
Range: Pacific coast of North America, from the Aleutian Islands and southern Alaska south through British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California to Baja California, Mexico; largely year-round resident with only short-distance post-breeding movement
Diet: Marine intertidal invertebrates — chiefly mussels and limpets, also chitons, barnacles, crabs, sea urchins, isopods, and marine worms — pried or hammered open with its strong, laterally flattened bill
Size: 0.46 m
Wingspan: 0.81 m
Lifespan: 6 years

More Cranes & Waders