We love spending time on the beach, especially when you can find a remote area where the only other animals are wild. Whenever we go to Port Aransas, Texas, we make time to cross the channel and enjoy quiet times at St. Joseph Island. The marine wildlife there goes beyond the seagulls and brown pelicans.
A few years ago, one October, we did just that. We enjoyed being the only humans on a stretch of the beach on that island. In the shade, protected from the Sun, we could enjoy the sounds of marine birds and the ocean waves.
This American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) was cruising the area in front of me, looking for something to eat. It is hard to miss a bird like this one: a heavy black-and-white shorebird about 16.5 to 19.7 inches (42 to 50 cm) long, with a wingspan of roughly 2 feet 6 inches to 2 feet 10 inches (76 to 86 cm), red-yellow eyes, and that vivid red-orange bill. With nothing rushing us, I had all the time in the world to follow its search and capture an image where it had something in its powerful bill.
That bill is the whole story of the bird. American Oystercatchers live almost entirely on shellfish — oysters, clams, mussels and other bivalves — along with marine worms, crabs, limpets and similar invertebrates they probe out of the sand. They are the only birds on that beach able to open a large clam or oyster on their own, which is why other birds, such as gulls, willets and turnstones, often hang around a foraging oystercatcher hoping to share the meal, or steal it. The Cornell Lab notes that the exchange is not always one-sided: now and then a clam clamps down on the bill and holds the bird until the tide returns.
Because that diet is so specialized, the birds are tied to a narrow band of habitat — saltmarshes, oyster reefs and barrier beaches. They range along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from roughly New England south through Florida, around the Gulf, and down through the Caribbean and both coasts of Central and South America as far as Chile and Argentina. On the Pacific Coast, they are largely replaced by the all-dark Black Oystercatcher. Here on the Texas coast, the barrier islands are exactly the kind of place they need, and exactly the kind of place people like to drive on, which is part of why the species is listed as a Yellow Alert Tipping Point species.
A fish, a mollusk, or whatever it was did not make a difference. The oystercatcher and I were both satisfied with our captures. If you want to see one for yourself, check a tide chart before you go — as the water falls and the flats are exposed, the birds come back to feed, and you will often hear that piercing whistle long before you see the red bill.
That is the story behind the shots. For more like this, enjoy these related stories: American Oystercatcher, Bird of the Week, Port Aransas, St. Joseph Island, Texas, and Wildlife. Until the next shoot, keep chasing the light and the wonders it reveals.
Posted for I.J. Khanewala’s Birds of the Week Invitation CLXXX.
Sources:
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds — American Oystercatcher — https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Oystercatcher/overview
- Audubon Field Guide — American Oystercatcher — https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-oystercatcher
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department — American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) — https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/oystercatcher
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service — American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) — https://www.fws.gov/species/american-oystercatcher-haematopus-palliatus
- Birds of the World — American Oystercatcher, Diet and Foraging — https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/ameoys/cur/foodhabits
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Steve Schwartzman
Knowing only what you’ve told about this bird here, I posed a question on the Internet: do the colors on Haematopus palliatus serve any purpose? Answers included the following:
“The striking yellow iris and bold red-orange orbital ring around the eye intensify facial contrast, which plays a role in close-range social and territorial displays.”
” Flashes of a bright white wing stripe or ‘V’ shape become visible during flight, helping flock members track and signal one another.”
“The sharp contrast between the dark head, brown back, and clean white underbelly breaks up their profile or signals presence to rivals and mates along crowded coastal mudflats and beaches.”
One answer didn’t make sense to me: “The vivid pigment on the long, chisel-like bill is not just for show; it acts as a specialized tool. The heavy-duty bill is used to pry open or smash the shells of oysters, clams, and other mollusks.” But the utility of the bird’s bill would be the same no matter what color it was, so this doesn’t explain the red.
Egidio Leitao
Man, the internet is indeed a rabbit hole! I wonder what sources gave you those different answers. AllAboutBirds is my go-to place to find facts.
Steve Schwartzman
They came from AI, so I can’t identify the original sources.
Egidio Leitao
When I use Google’s Gemini, the sources always appear as clickable link at the end of the paragraph. Your AI source may be different.
Steve Schwartzman
Clickable links often follow what AI says to me, too, but on several occasions recently I’ve found that the linked articles, while related to my question and AI’s assertions, don’t actually back up those assertions.
Leanne Cole
You can feel the solitude Egidio. Sounds like a great moment in time.
Egidio Leitao
It is, and the best part is that we can redo it every time we visit Port Aransas. Thanks for commenting.
I. J. Khanewala
Wonderful photos. You had absolutely brilliant light that morning. It’s amazing that in spite of the difference in colours of the oystercatchers around the world, they all have the same shape.
Egidio Leitao
And those piercing eyes! Thanks for the comment.
Pepper
Wonderful captures of the Oystercatcher. Those times to focus on photography, without a schedule or many people or distractions around, are so precious.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Pepper. Quiet places are perfect.
Anne Sandler
Great capture and information Egidio!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Anne. Those are very interesting birds to watch.
pamperrault21
Thank you so much Egidio! I really enjoyed your comment, “where the only other animals are wild”! Made me smile. Also, I “met” a new, spectacularly beautiful bird and learned a lot about him. Great post! Thank you for sharing both your images and knowledge with us! pp
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, as always, for your kind words and comments.
Toonsarah
It must have been wonderful to have a beach like that to yourselves, with only the birds for company!
Egidio Leitao
You can say that again, Sarah. We love going to the island every time we visit Port Aransas. Thanks for commenting.