American oystercatcher | |
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American oystercatcher pair with chick at Fort Tilden, New York | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Haematopodidae |
Genus: | Haematopus |
Species: | H. palliatus
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Binomial name | |
Haematopus palliatus Temminck, 1820
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Year-round
Breeding
Nonbreeding
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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 observed the bird eating oysters.[2] The current population of American oystercatchers is estimated to be 43,000.[2] There are estimated to be 1,500 breeding pairs along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the US.[3] The bird is marked by its black and white body and a long, thick orange beak.
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