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Oystercatchers are devoted parents. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The American oystercatcher is a brawny shorebird. An adult stands about a foot-and-a-half tall and has a wingspan of up to three feet. Yet the oystercatcher is also among the most devoted of parents.
The American oystercatcher is found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, especially on sandy beaches and in mudflats and salt marshes. It uses its long, sharp bill to reach inside the open shells of oysters and mussels and snap the tissue that closes the shells. It can then scoop out the tasty meat. And if that doesn’t work, the oystercatcher can also use its bill to smash an opening in the shell.
For a nest, the oystercatcher digs a shallow depression in the sand above the high-tide line. It might dig several before it’s satisfied. Then it lines the nest with pebbles and bits of broken shell to help disguise the eggs, which have a speckled appearance.
Males and females tend the nests together. In some cases a male and two females will work together to take care of two nests. After the eggs hatch, the adults spend much of their time watching for predators and gathering food. The young can’t feed themselves until they’re about two months old, so it’s a big job. There are reports that the adults spend so much time and energy feeding the young that they starve themselves.
Even after they can take care of themselves, the chicks may hang around mom and dad for a few more months. So it’s a long time before oystercatcher parents have to worry about “empty nest” syndrome.
