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Sooty Oystercatcher (Haematopus fuliginosus) Alternate name(s): "Black Oystercatcher", "Black Redbill", "Wee-ardoo" Aboriginal name(s): "goomp goom" (Gold Coast); "kwikan", "boorgortbotong" (WA) Size: 40-52 cm; wing span ca. 90 cm Body mass: ca. 820 g (average)

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Sooty Oystercatchers are medium-sized shorebirds. They have an all-black plumage. The eye-rings and the long, straight bill are bright red, while the legs and feet are pink. The only difference between the two sexes is that males have shorter bills than females. Of the two extant races, nominate race "fuliginosus" has narrow orbital rings, a relatively long bill and pale claws, while race "ophthalmicus" has wide orbital rings, a relatively short bill and dark claws.

Taxonomy, classification See Sooty Oystercatcher at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Sooty Oystercatcher is available HERE . Sooty Oystercatchers are endemic to Australia. They are found around the entire seaboard of the continent, including islands along the Torres Strait, along Bass Strait and the coastline of Tasmania, but nowhere inland. Two races are distinguished. Nominate race fuliginosus" populates the coastal fringe South of the tropic of Capricorn, while race ophthalmicus" is found only to the North of the tropic of Capricorn. Sooty Oystercatchers have a strong preference for rocky coasts, e.g. coastal rockfaces, as can be seen in the photos below. Where to look? How to find this species? Sooty Oystercatchers spend much of their time on rocky surfaces along the coastal fringe. They spend less time on sandy or muddy surfaces.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "fuliginosus" We first spotted Sooty Oystercatchers, race fuliginosus", at Myall Lakes NP, 50 km North of Newcastle, NSW, in June 2009. In January 2011 some Sooty Oystercatchers, race fuliginosus", were spotted by us at the Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, followed by a spotting in the Manning River estuary near Old Bar, NSW, in June 2011. Sooty Oystercatchers, race fuliginosus", were spotted and photographed by C. Kellenberg at Point Plomer, Limeburners Creek NP, NSW, in February 2009. A small number of Sooty Oystercatchers, race fuliginosus", was observed by us at Bundjalung NP, near Iluka, northern NSW, in February 2012 and again in May 2014. Two Sooty Oystercatchers, race fuliginosus", were found by us at Little Nobby, Crescent Head, NSW, in October 2013. J. Greaves reports spotting Sooty Oystercatchers, race fuliginosus", in various rocky coastal habitats in the South-West of WA, e.g. at Two Peoples Bay, Albany, WA, in January 2015, at Bunker Bay, WA, in May 2015 and at Kilcarnup Beach, WA, in December 2016. M. Eaton reports spotting Sooty Oystercatchers, race fuliginosus", at Caloundra, QLD, in August 2017, and at Batemans Bay, NSW, in April 2023. M. Mearns reports spotting Sooty Oystercatchers, race fuliginosus", at Cape Le Grand NP, southern WA, in October 2018. R. Plumtree found a Sooty Oystercatcher, race fuliginosus", at Lakes Entrance, VIC, in September 2019. Race "ophthalmicus" B. Hensen reports spotting Sooty Oystercatchers, race "ophthalmicus", at Nightcliff, Darwin, NT, in March 2013. B. Hensen again found Sooty Oystercatchers, race "ophthalmicus", at Lee Point, Darwin, NT, in July 2018.

Photos

Race "fuliginosus"

ADULT

PAIR

Lateral view of a pair of Sooty Oystercatchers
Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
The difference in the length of the bill between male and female Sooty Oystercatchers is small and it usually takes a combined view of a pair to tell the two apart - here, the bird at far left, with a shorter bill, is the male; the female, front right, has a slightly longer bill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Caloundra, QLD, August 2017]

Lateral view of a pair of Sooty Oystercatchers; male on the left, female on the right (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Caloundra, QLD, January 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a pair of Sooty Oystercatchers; male on the right, female on the left (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Caloundra, QLD, January 2018]

MALE

Frontal view of a Sooty Oystercatcher; even taking into account the foreshortening effect of a frontal view, this bird appears to have a relatively short bill, which makes it a likely male (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Caloundra, QLD, August 2017]

Close-up lateral view of a male Sooty Oystercatcher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Batemans Bay, NSW, April 2023]

Lateral view of a Sooty Oystercatcher; its relatively short bill indicates that it is a male(?) (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Caloundra, QLD, January 2018]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a male(?) Sooty Oystercatcher stretching a wing (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Batemans Bay, NSW, April 2023]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a male Sooty Oystercatcher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Batemans Bay, NSW, April 2023]

Dorsal view of a male Sooty Oystercatcher looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Caloundra, QLD, January 2018]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a Sooty Oystercatcher in search of food; because of the apparent length of its bill, this bird is likely a female
[Myall Lakes NP, NSW, June 2009]

Lateral view of a female(?) Sooty Oystercatcher in flight
[Bundjalung NP, NSW, February 2012]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Sooty Oystercatcher (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Lakes Entrance, VIC, September 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Sooty Oystercatcher (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Kilcarnup Beach, WA, December 2016]

Sooty Oystercatcher resting on a rock (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Two Peoples Bay, Albany, WA, January 2015]

Lateral view of a Sooty Oystercatcher (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)

Lateral view of a Sooty Oystercatcher
[Bundjalung NP, NSW, February 2012]

Close-up lateral view of a Sooty Oystercatcher shaking dry its plumage after a bath
[Pebbly Beach, Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a Sooty Oystercatcher
[Pebbly Beach, Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a preening Sooty Oystercatcher; note how the mandibles can be offset for use as a comb
[Pebbly Beach, Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

Dorsal view of a Sooty Oystercatcher
[Bundjalung NP, NSW, February 2012]

Dorsal view of a Sooty Oystercatcher jumping and flapping its wings to beat water out of the feathers after taking a bath
[Pebbly Beach, Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

Three Sooty Oystercatchers together with a bunch of Silver Gull
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, January 2011]

Direct near-lateral/near-dorsal comparison of a Sooty Oystercatcher with a Pied Oystercatcher
[Iluka Bluff, Bundjalung NP, NSW, May 2014]

Near-dorsal view of 3 Sooty Oystercatchers in flight
[Near Old Bar, NSW, June 2011]

Race "ophthalmicus"

ADULT

MALE

Lateral view of a Sooty Oystercatcher; based on the length of the bill, this bird is probably a male - note the wide orbital ring, short bill and dark claws typical of this race (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Nightcliff, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Lateral view of a male(?) Sooty Oystercatcher, together with a Pied Oystercatcher (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2018]

PAIR

Near-lateral view of a pair of Sooty Oystercatchers; based on the length of the bill, the bird on the left is probably a female, the one on the right a male (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Nightcliff, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Sex unknown

Near-dorsal view of a Sooty Oystercatcher, together with a Sanderling; click on photo to see several other species of waders (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Nightcliff, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial?

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Pair/family clan

Sooty Oystercatchers have a strong preference for rocky coastal habitats.

Sooty Oystercatchers resting on a rock platform (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Cape Le Grand NP, WA, October 2018]

Food, Diet

Sooty Oystercatches feed on oysters and other shellfish that they pry loose with their powerful bills.

Female(?) Sooty Oystercatcher with a cockle it has caught; it was seen sliding one mandible of its bill between the two half shells in order to open it (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Broadbeach, Gold Coast, QLD, May 2014]

Sooty Oystercatcher with its prey (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Caloundra, QLD, August 2017]

Lateral view of a female Sooty Oystercatcher with its meal
[Myall Lakes NP, NSW, June 2009]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

sootoys_20150326.m4a	fuliginosus (NE NSW)	Contact call? (in-flight)	© MD
sootoys_20150326_2.m4a	fuliginosus (NE NSW)	Contact calls? (in-flight)	© MD
sootoys_20140526_4.mp3	fuliginosus (NE NSW)	Warning calls? (in-flight)	© MD
sootoys_20150818.m4a	fuliginosus (NE NSW)	Squabbling (2 birds, in-flight)	© MD

More Sooty Oystercatcher sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.