Bird guideSooty Oystercatcher

Entirely sooty black with a thick scarlet bill and bright red eye-ring, it is restricted to rocky coastlines.

⚠️VIC: Vulnerable
🌿Endemic to Australia

At a glance

FamilyOystercatchers
SizeTiny
RarityCommon
HabitatIt is a wading bird endemic to Australia and commonly found on its coastline .
Best timeReported across most months in New South Wales, with no narrow seasonal peak.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Peter Boesman

Range map

Range map

1507visible hotspots
67028visible records
6states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

It has a distinctive fleshy red or yellow eye-ring and very thick pale-pink feet and legs. Exclusively coastal, where it can be found walking around on the edge of rocky headlands, on rock shelves, and along rocky beaches on small islands. Typically found in pairs or small groups.

Behavior

Its call is a loud slow whistled

Regional timing

Western Australia
Peak: July to April7,991 records
Queensland
Peak: October to March4,492 records
Victoria
Peak: October to July16,139 records
New South Wales
Peak: December to August25,554 records
Tasmania
Peak: October to March12,053 records
South Australia
Peak: September to May5,639 records
Northern Territory
Peak: July to October1,470 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: July to October277 records
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