Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus

Sooty Oystercatchers Haematopus fuliginosus

Sooty Oystercatchers can be seen singly or in pairs along the entire coastline of Australia, including offshore islands and estuaries. Adult birds are large and entirely black with red eyes and beak and long, dark pink legs.

Their preferred habitats are rocky headlands, shelves and beaches. Occasionally, however, they can also be seen on sandy beaches and estuarine mudflats.

At low tide Sooty Oystercatchers feed on mussels and limpets on exposed rocks. The birds breed in Spring and Summer in isolated spots above the high-tide mark, laying two to four eggs into a shallow depression.

The Sooty Oystercatcher has become a vulnerable species. It is under pressure from human disturbance and damage to their roosting, feeding and breeding sites. Adult birds often get killed by cats, dogs and foxes, and the eggs and chicks can fall prey to rats.

The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife supports the recovery of the species at Brush Island, one of their major breeding sites on the south coast of New South Wales. Shipwrecked rats have invaded the island making it almost impossible for the breeding pairs to bring up young. The Foundation provided funds to eradicate all rats from the island to give the colony a chance to reclaim this popular breeding site.

Top of page