Magellanic Oystercatcher
Haematopus leucopodus
A boldly patterned large and chunky shorebird of southern South America and Falklands. Favors rocky coastlines and adjacent river mouths, but also frequent on nearby grasslands and lakeshores. Associates readily with other oystercatchers. Told from American Oystercatcher by its glossy black head and upperparts that lack the white shoulder spur. In flight the distinctive upperwing pattern with big white panel on trailing edge separates it from American. At close range, also note the yellow eyering (red on American). Voice is also very distinct from other oystercatchers.
Identification
The Magellanic oystercatcher has a length between 42 and 46 cm (17 and 18 in). The male weighs around 600 g (21 oz) and the female is a little heavier. This bird has a long, orange beak, yellow eye and eye ring, and yellow legs. The head, breast, back, wings and tail are black and the underparts are white, as are the feathers on the inner part of the wing which can be seen in flight. It is very similar in appearance to the American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), but can be distinguished by the yellow ring of bare skin that surrounds its yellow eye and the white secondary feathers. No other species of oystercatcher has these two features, and it is also the only New World species to have a black rather than a brown back. The call is similar to other oystercatchers, a repeated high-pitched "pee-pee".
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Haematopus leucopodus
- Authority
- Garnot, 1826
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Haematopodidae
- Genus
- Haematopus
Range and habitat
This species is native to the southern tip of South America. Its range includes southern Argentina, Tierra del Fuego and other nearby islands, and the Falkland Islands. It is present on South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands but its status there is unclear. It breeds inland on upland grasslands but lives on the coast outside breeding season.
- Breeding range
- SA : coastal and inland sc Chile and sc Argentina to Cape Horn and Falkland Is.
- Non-breeding range
- to coasts
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
When inland during breeding season, the Magellanic oystercatcher feeds largely on earthworms and insect larvae, probing soft ground and mud with its sharp beak. At other times of year when at the coast it forages for mussels and limpets and feeds on crabs and polychaete worms.<p>When disturbed near the nest it engages in several strategies to divert attention from its eggs and chicks. These include false-brooding, when it moves to sit on an imaginary nest site, and tail-flagging, a ritual aggressive display involving raising tail and wings. It also has a distinctive peeping call to warn off intruders.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Ornithion brunneicapillus
Tiny short-tailed flycatcher. Yellow below with white eyebrow that wraps around the forehead. No wingbars. Very similar to Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet, but note brown crown (not gray). Voice is also distinctive: a series of plaintive clear whistles descending in pitch. Found singly or in pairs, usually in the forest canopy, where it can be difficult to spot given its small size. Sometimes joins a mixed-species flock.
Johannes's Tody-Tyrant
Hemitriccus iohannis
Small, drab flycatcher. Olive brown with yellowish belly, diffuse throat streaking, and a light eye. Perches upright in dense secondary habitats, including riverside successional vegetation and bamboo thickets. Listen for its song, a short, rising musical trill with a hiccuped introductory note: “tu-trrrrip.”
Phoenix Petrel
Pterodroma alba
A long-winged petrel, predominantly dark with a gleaming white belly. Throat patch often shows pale speckling, and birds sometimes appear distinctly pale-throated. Key identification feature is the prominent pale bar at the leading edge of the dark underwing between the elbow and body. Similar in pattern to Tahiti Petrel, but much smaller-billed and sometimes shows a pale throat. Usually flies with wings bent at the elbow, unlike the remarkably straight-winged Tahiti Petrel. Silent at sea.
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