- Haematopus leucopodus
Identification
42–46 cm (16½-18 in)
Adult:
- Bright yellow eye and eye-ring
- Black upperparts and chest
- Remainder of plumage white, including a broad white trailing edge to the upper wings
- White rump and white on the underwing
- Legs are very pale pink.
Immature: Similar to adult but browner above, with dark eye, dull bill with dark tip, and drab legs and feet.
Distribution
South to south-central Chile and Argentina to Cape Horn Archipelago and Falkland Islands.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Seashore, sand or mudflats, and inland on grasslands near ponds and sheep pens.
Behaviour
When excited has a display where the tail is lifted in a way that makes the white rump and undertail very obvious, a display that is not common in many other oystercatchers.
Diet
Probes in the mud and around rocks for limpets, mussels, crabs and other food items. When inland, will mainly feed on earthworms.
Vocalisation
Voice is reminiscent of an un-oiled wheel-barrow: each call of more or less one note, quickly followed by a slightly different note, but all of the un-oiled iron quality.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Hockey, P. & Kirwan, G.M. (2018). Magellanic Oystercatcher (Haematopus leucopodus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53748 on 15 May 2018)
- Magellanic Oystercatcher (Haematopus leucopodus), In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/magoys1
- Personal observations by Birdforum members njlarsen and Joseph Morlan
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Magellanic Oystercatcher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 22 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Magellanic_Oystercatcher
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
