Brown-mantled oystercatcher
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Brown-mantled oystercatcher ( Haematopus palliatus ) |
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| Temminck , 1820 |
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The brown-mantled oystercatcher ( Haematopus palliatus ) is a species from the oystercatcher family. The species occurs in North, Central and South America. Several subspecies are distinguished.
Appearance
The South American oystercatcher reaches a body length of 42 centimeters. The wingspan is 76 centimeters. There is no very noticeable sexual dimorphism , but males are slightly darker on the upper body than females.
Adult South American oystercatchers have a black head and neck. The top of the body is brownish black. Newly molted South American oystercatchers have lightly fringed feathers on the coat, so that they appear a little lighter on the upper side of the body. However, this is lost as the plumage becomes more worn. The underside of the body is white. The strong and long beak is bright orange-red and brightens to a yellow-red in breeding birds.
The brown-coat oystercatcher can be confused with the oystercatcher represented in Eurasia . But this one has a much shorter beak, which is also more bright red. On the upper side of the body, the oystercatcher is black and not, like the brown-coat oystercatcher, brown. The range of the cliff oystercatcher partly overlaps with that of the brown-coat oyster fisherman. The two species are easy to tell apart, however, as the cliff oystercatcher has completely dark plumage.
Distribution area
The way of life of the brown-coat oystercatcher is closely tied to the coast. It occurs in the eastern United States from New England to Florida, the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean. Individual isolated observations are even available for Newfoundland on the east coast of the United States . On the west coast of North America, the brown-mantled oystercatcher breeds from Baja California. The distribution area extends further south along the coast of Central America to far into South America. Brown-mantled oystercatchers are predominantly resident birds.
Way of life
The brown-coat oystercatcher mainly eats mussels, which it breaks open with its large beak. The clutch consists of two to three eggs.
supporting documents
literature
- Richart Chandler: Shorebirds of the Northern Hemisphere . Christopher Helm Publishing House, London 2009, ISBN 978-1-4081-0790-4
Single receipts
- ↑ Chandler, p. 58
Web links
- Haematopus palliatus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2014.