American Oystercatcher
Haematopus bachmani

We find the American Oystercatchers in North America along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in the east, and on the Pacific coast of Mexico. In South America, they live on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, south of the equator.
Oystercatchers make a living scouring rocky shorelines for mostly invertebrate prey. Mollusks comprise the greater portion of their food. Their bills are especially effective at prying univalves from the surface of the marine rocks, and from opening the shells of bivalves. The first European to report these birds to science was Mark Catesby in 1731 (read of him <Here>), when he saw one of these birds foraging on oysters; hence, the name.
Modern science calls out five subspecies of American Oystercatcher:
- H. p. palliatus lives on the coasts of North and South America, from the Gulf of California, south to Chile, and from Massachusetts, south to Argentina, including West Indies.
- H. p. frazari lives on the coast of Mexico from northern Baja California, sometimes to southern California, and south to Oaxaca.
- H. p. galapagensis lives on the Galapagos Islands.
- H. p. pitanay lives on the Pacific coast of South America from Ecuador to Chile.
- H. p. durnfordi lives on the Atlantic coast of South America from southern Brazil south to Argentina.
On my trip to the Revillagigedo Islands (Mexico), I had my first chance to meet this bird, but I only saw one at a distance. I had better meetings with American-Black Oystercatcher hybrids, which look mostly like this bird, but with black feathers “dripping” onto the white breast. Then, in March 2020, while aboard another boat, this time looking for Whooping Cranes, I met another. During February 2021, I met these birds under better conditions at Bahia Grande near Brownsville (Texas), and again, later near Galveston.
8 Photos

American Oystercatcher(Haematopus palliatus) |
Description: They lack black "drips" from the dark bib onto the white belly show this bird is a pure bred American Oystercatcher. Our first landing on our way to the Archipielago de Revillagigedo was at Isla San Rogue, a seemingly barren rock of an island near the central coast of Baja California. |
Date Taken: 2017:02:11 12:49 |
Location:
Isla Asunción |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 550 mm, f/7.1, 1/5000 |
File Name: AmericanOysterCatcher_D5X5006 |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


American Oystercatcher(Haematopus palliatus) |
Description: Oystercatcher on the oyster shoal. My third day of exploration of Aransas NWR was a memorable one. I boarded the tour boat the "Skimmer" and got schooled by Captain Tommy Moore on a three plus hour cruise of the back-bays and waterways beyond the view of the public from the tour roads on the reserve. |
Date Taken: 2020:03:17 11:51 |
Location:
Aransas NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: AmericanOystercatcher_D504083-BoatRide-Aransas-NWR |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


American Oystercatcher(Haematopus palliatus) |
Description: One of these birds was wearing jewelry at Bahia Grande. For my final winter expedition from my Brownsville camp, I chose South Padre Island. The drive to the island crosses Bahia Grande, where I stopped to look for waders, gulls and shorebirds. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:11 8:30 |
Location:
Bahia Grande |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/800 |
File Name: AmericanOystercatcher_D5X1492-BahiaGrande |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


American Oystercatcher(Haematopus palliatus) |
Description: One of these birds was wearing jewelry at Bahia Grande. For my final winter expedition from my Brownsville camp, I chose South Padre Island. The drive to the island crosses Bahia Grande, where I stopped to look for waders, gulls and shorebirds. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:11 8:28 |
Location:
Bahia Grande |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: AmericanOystercatcher_D5X1458-BahiaGrande |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


American Oystercatcher(Haematopus palliatus) |
Description: One of these birds (not this one) was wearing jewelry at Bahia Grande. For my final winter expedition from my Brownsville camp, I chose South Padre Island. The drive to the island crosses Bahia Grande, where I stopped to look for waders, gulls and shorebirds. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:11 8:26 |
Location:
Bahia Grande |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: AmericanOystercatcher_D5X1398-BahiaGrande |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


American Oystercatcher(Haematopus palliatus) |
Description: One of these birds was wearing jewelry at Bahia Grande. For my final winter expedition from my Brownsville camp, I chose South Padre Island. The drive to the island crosses Bahia Grande, where I stopped to look for waders, gulls and shorebirds. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:11 8:26 |
Location:
Bahia Grande |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: AmericanOystercatcher_D5X1384-BahiaGrande |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


American Oystercatcher(Haematopus palliatus) |
Description: Oystercatchers are a species of special concern on the Texas coast. On Wednesday (2021-03-03) I drove from Aransas NWR to Galveston. I pulled off the freeway at Tiki Island, where it was my good fortune to meet a Coast Warden for Texas Audubon, as he was loading his boat onto its trailer. He was generous enough to offer to take me with him on his rounds to monitor nesting islands in West Bay the next day. |
Date Taken: 2021:03:04 9:36 |
Location:
West Bay |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: AmericanOystercatcher_D5X7929-WestBay_Galveston-TX |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


American Oystercatcher(Haematopus palliatus) |
Description: Oystercatchers are a species of special concern on the Texas coast. On Wednesday (2021-03-03) I drove from Aransas NWR to Galveston. I pulled off the freeway at Tiki Island, where it was my good fortune to meet a Coast Warden for Texas Audubon, as he was loading his boat onto its trailer. He was generous enough to offer to take me with him on his rounds to monitor nesting islands in West Bay the next day. |
Date Taken: 2021:03:04 9:39 |
Location:
West Bay |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: AmericanOystercatcher_D5X7965-WestBay_Galveston-TX |
© 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

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