Blackish Oystercatcher (Haematopus ater)

Blackish Oystercatcher (Haematopus ater)
Chilean name: Pilpilén negro

Chile

The Blackish Oystercatcher is distributed round the coasts of southern South America from Peru through Chile to Tierra del Fuego and north along the Argentine coast.

It is a large oystercatcher, all dark with brownish-black on the back. It has a yellow eye and a red eye-ring. The legs are dull pink.

It is strictly coastal and nests on the ground or, in the case of photo 2, on an offshore rock just out of reach of the stormy seas.

Blackish Oystercatcher, Cachagua, Chile, January 2006 - click for larger image

Immature Blackish Oystercatcher, Pan de Azucar, Chile, January 2006 - click for larger image

Photo 6 shows an immature.

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