Sooty Oystercatcher
Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, March 2021.
There is only one totally black feathered shore living bird in Australia and this is it. The eyes, eye ring and bill are all red with the legs being a pinkish colour.
Immature birds are duller and or browner. The red features are replaced with orange and the legs grey.
Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, March 2021.
You usually find these birds in pairs or alone on rocky coasts, coral reefs and estuaries. You do not see them so often on sandy beaches.
Ellis Beach, November 2019.
They feed on crustaceans, sea worms and molluscs.
Ellis Beach, October 2021.
Females are larger than the males and have a slender bill.
Left: Far North Queensland - Right: Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.
Birds found in the northern parts of Australia have a larger eye ring and bill.