Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris
Pied Oystercatcher, Southport, Tasmania, Australia, January 2006 - click for larger image Southport, Tasmania, Australia
February 2006

The Pied Oystercatcher is distributed around the coasts of Australia including Tasmania. It breeds on salt marshes, beaches and pastures and, in the non-breeding season, it is found on mudflats and sandy beaches.

Pied Oystercatcher, Southport, Tasmania, Australia, January 2006 - click for larger image It is black with a white belly and rump, a straight, scarlet bill, red eyes and pinky-red legs. In flight it shows a short, angled wing-bar and white rump. It is superficially similar to the European Oystercatcher H. ostralegus but the latter has more extensive white on the back forming a sharp "V" between the scapulars and longer and broader wing-bars.
Pied Oystercatcher, Southport, Tasmania, Australia, January 2006 - click for larger image
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