Eurasian Oystercatcher

• alimentaciónIt has a stout chisel-shaped bill it uses to open mussels and other bivalves, either hammering them or slipping the bill between half-open shells.
• Despite its name, oysters are not an important part of its diet, though it is among the very few birds able to open their shells.
• It is the most widely distributed oystercatcher in the world.
• Its scientific name means literally "blood feet", from the Greek haima, blood, and pous, foot, after the intense red of its legs.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Sandy and muddy coastal habitats of Eurasia and Africa, where it probes the substrate for molluscs and worms

Sexual maturity

3 years

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List · Asturnatura · Wikipedia (Haematopus ostralegus) · Lee et al. 2017, Mitochondrial DNA Part B (genoma mitocondrial completo) · Linnaeus 1758

Best time: All year round on sandy and muddy coasts; in Spain mainly on passage and in winter