African Black Oystercatcher
Encyclopedia
The African Oystercatcher or African Black Oystercatcher, (Haematopus moquini) is a large wader
which is a resident breeder on the rocky coast
s and island
s 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 mussel
s, or for finding earthworm
s. 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 egg
s, which are incubated by both adults.
The scientific name commemorates the French naturalist Alfred Moquin-Tandon
.
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
which is a resident breeder on the rocky coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
s and island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s of southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
. This oystercatcher
Oystercatcher
The oystercatchers are a group of waders; they form the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia...
has a population of less than 5,000 adults.
The African Black Oystercatcher is a large and noisy plover-like
Plover
Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...
bird, with completely black plumage
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
, red legs and a strong broad red bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
used for smashing or prying open molluscs such as mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
s, or for finding earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s. 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
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
. The call is a distinctive loud piping, very similar to Common Pied Oystercatcher. That migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
species can occur as a vagrant
Vagrancy (biology)
Vagrancy is a phenomenon in biology whereby individual animals appear well outside their normal range; individual animals which exhibit vagrancy are known as vagrants. The term accidental is sometimes also used...
in southern Africa, but its black-and-white plumage makes confusion impossible.
The nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
is a bare scrape on pebbles or shingles. The female generally lays 2-4 egg
Bird egg
Bird eggs are laid by females and incubated for a time that varies according to the species; a single young hatches from each egg. Average clutch sizes range from one to about 17...
s, which are incubated by both adults.
The scientific name commemorates the French naturalist Alfred Moquin-Tandon
Alfred Moquin-Tandon
Christian Horace Benedict Alfred Moquin-Tandon was a French naturalist and doctor.Moquin-Tandon was professor of zoology at Marseille from 1829 until 1833, when he was appointed professor of botany and director of the botanical gardens at Toulouse. In 1850, he was sent by the French government to...
.