Bird to spot Oystercatcher

Haematopus ostralegus

Confusingly, oysters aren’t the main foodstuff of oystercatchers; instead, they eat predominantly other bivalves, including cockles and mussels, using either a stabbing or hammering technique.

With their orange-red bill, reddish-pink legs and insistent shrill, they are a distinctive feature of the British coastline. Their nickname amongst birders is ‘Oyc’ (phonetically ‘Oik’) — apt for a bird whose diet is 60% made up of food stolen from other oystercatchers.

They are closely connected to St Bride, a heroine from the early days of the Church, after they came to help her when she was becalmed at sea. In gaelic they are called ‘Gille Bhrìghde’, which translates as ‘Servants of Bride’.

A collection of oystercatchers is known as a ‘stew’ or ‘parcel’. Once called sea pies, the

North American species was renamed as oystercatchers by English naturalist Mark Catesby in 1731 when he spotted them eating oysters. And in 1843 the name was made official by naturalist William Yarrell when he published the term in his book, A History of British Birds.

They can live until they’re 30 years old, with one shot in France in 2017 estimated to have been 43. Most breeding pairs stay together year after year.

They are the national bird of the Faroe Islands and, on 12 March when St Gregory’s Day is celebrated, it signifies that the oystercatchers have arrived. Because of its numbers, it is an important indicator species.