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
SizeLarge
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

200approx hotspots
73949approx records
7states
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

Tasmania
Peak: October to March12,077 records
Victoria
Peak: October to July15,609 records
Western Australia
Peak: July to April8,011 records
South Australia
Peak: September to May5,667 records
New South Wales
Peak: December to August25,675 records
Queensland
Peak: October to March4,513 records
Northern Territory
Peak: July to October1,472 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: July to October278 records
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