American Oystercatcher
Haematopus palliatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyHaematopodidae (Oystercatchers)
- GenusHaematopus (Oystercatchers)
- SpeciesHaematopus palliatus (American Oystercatcher)
The American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), occasionally called the American pied oystercatcher, is a member of family Haematopodidae. Originally called the "sea pie", it was renamed in 1731 when naturalist Mark Catesby claimed that he had observed the bird eating oysters. The current population of American oystercatchers is estimated to be 50,000 – 99,999 mature individuals. There are estimated to be 1,500 breeding pairs along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the US. The bird is marked by its black and white body and a long, thick orange beak. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Tijuca National Park
Southern Lapwing
Vanellus chilensis
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
Solitary Sandpiper
Tringa solitaria
Wattled Jacana
Jacana jacana
South American Tern
Sterna hirundinacea
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of American Oystercatcher at Tijuca National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there