KEY FEATURES

BIRD OF THE YEAR 2018AFRICAN BLACK OYSTERCATCHER

African Black Oystercatcher

AKA Rocky

Haematopus moquini

Hi, my name is Rocky. I am an African Black Oystercatcher. There are 12 oystercatcher species worldw ide.

Two species can be found in South Africa, the visiting Eurasian Oystercatcher and the near-endemic African

Black Oystercatcher. The African Black Oystercatcher is the only one that breeds in South Africa. I am

described as a very distinctive and charismatic bird w ith bright, contrasting colours which makes me easy to

identify. The genus name, Haematopus, means legs and feet red like blood, which is exactly what I look like!

NECK POWERFUL NECK MUSCLES

TO JAB AT AND BREAK

OPEN MUSSELS.

BILL LONG FLATTENED, CHISEL-SHAPED TO JAB AT PARTIALLY OPEN VALVES

OF MUSSELS AND SCISSOR OUT THE FLESH.

MALE BILL IS SHORTER AND BLUNTER THAN THAT OF THE FEMALE BIRD.

LEGS AND FEET

PINK/REDDISH LEGS

AND FEET.

BODY BLACK PLUMAGE IN ADULTS.

GREY PLUMAGE IN JUVENILES.

CHICKS ARE GREY WITH BLACK STRIPES

BEHIND THE EYES AND CROWN.

CALL LOUD KLEEP, KLEE-A OR KLEE-EEP SOUND.

WHEN IN DANGER – SHARP REPEATED PIC OR

PIC-PIC ALARM CALL.

WINGS 80 TO 88 CM

SIZE 42 - 45 CM

WEIGHT ♂ 665 G ♀ 730 G

SEXUAL MATURITY ♀ 3 YRS ♂ 4 YRS

LIFESPAN UP TO 29 YRS

I only breed on the coastlines of South Africa and Namibia. In Mozambique

and Angola you w ill find some of my non-breeding friends. I prefer rocky,

sandy and mixed substrate coastlines along the mainland and islands. When I’m

not breeding, I love to join large flocks of birds to roost on high vantage points.

Habitat and Distribution

Unlike my name ‘oystercatcher’, I do not eat oysters! I prefer bivalves (mussels), limpets, polychaetes (worms), whelks and crustaceans. On sandy

shores, I mainly eat sand mussles whereas on rocky shores my diet is more varied. I only feed during low tide in the zone between the low-water

mark and high-water mark. This requires me to feed day and night to take advantage of both low tides.

Food and Feeding

EYES RED EYES WITH ORANGE EYE RING.

BREEDING MONOGOMOUS - WILL STAY TOGETHER

FOR UP TO 20 YEARS. BUTTERFLY FLIGHTS - SLOW

FLIGHT WITH DEEP WING-BEATS - ARE PERFORMED

IN PRE-BREEDING AND BREEDING PERIODS.

TERRITORIAL ESTABLISH TERRITORY FIRST BEFORE BREEDING.

PIPING DISPLAYS GIVEN IN TERRITORY DEFENCE WITH BILLS HELD DOWNWARDS

AND SHOULDERS HUNCHED OR WINGS SLIGHTLY RAISED WHILE CALLING LOUDLY.

RETURN TO THE SAME SIGHT TO BUILD THEIR NEST YEAR AFTER YEAR.

NEST BREEDING SEASON BET WEEN OCTOBER AND APRIL.

NEST BARE SCRAPE IN SAND OR SHALLOW INDENTATION IN ROCK,

SURROUNDED BY A RING OF SHELLS AND ROCKS ABOVE THE HIGH WATER

MARK. LAY 1 - 2 WELL CAMOUFLAGED EGGS. BOTH PARENTS INCUBATE

EGGS FOR 27 - 39 DAYS. ADULTS PERFORM FALSE BROODING DISPLAY

WHEN THREATENED TO DIVERT ATTENTION AWAY FROM REAL NEST.

CHICKS IN RESPONSE TO PARENTS’ ALARM CALL, HIDES UNDER BUSH,

ROCKS, CRACKS, OR FREEZES IN OPEN WHEN THERE IS NO COVER.

ADULTS PERFORM DISTRACTION-LURE DISPLAY WITH NO VOCALIZATION

TO DIVERT ATTENTION AWAY FROM THEIR CHICKS.

CARE OF CHICKS CHICKS BORN WITH EYES OPEN,

COVERED IN DOWN, MOBILE, BUT STILL DEPENDENT

ON ADULTS FOR FOOD. FED BY BOTH ADULTS; ONE

FORAGES WHILE OTHER CLOSELY GUARDS CHICKS.

FUN FACT - CHICKS CAN SWIM TO AVOID PREDATORS!

FOOD PREY CARRIED WHOLE TO CHICKS, FLESH

THEN REMOVED AND SHELL DISCARDED TO FORM

SHELL MIDDEN CLOSE TO NEST.

FLEDGE CHICKS FLEDGE AT 35 - 40 DAYS AND

LEAVE PARENTS’ TERRITORY AFTER 2 - 6 MONTHS.

JUVENILES MIGRATE TO NURSERY AREAS IN NAMIBIA

AND ANGOLA FOR 2-3 YEARS BEFORE RETURNING.

Rocky’s Life Cycle

Content and Illustrations: Chrissie Cloete trading as ChrissieCanDrawSources: Carnaby, T. 2010. Beat about the bush – birds. Jacana, Johannesburg, pp 764.Hockey, P.A.R., I Dean, W.R.J. & Ryan, P.G. (Eds). 2005. Roberts – Birds of Southern Africa 7th ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town. I Ginn, P., McIlleron, G. 2014. The Ultimate Companion for Birding in Southern Africa, Volume 1. The Unlimited, Cape Town.

Hi my name is Sandy, the

White-fronted Plover. Rocky and I

are best of friends as we have a lot in

common. Just like Rocky, I w il stay w ith one

mate my whole life and lay my eggs in scrapes in

the sand. I also feed night and day in the upper

intertidal zone. Both of us

lay camouflaged eggs and

w ill try our best to divert

attention away from our

nests w ith distraction

displays. Unlike rocky, I live on the coastline

as well as inland around lakes and

rivers. I’m aslo a lot smaller.