Last evening, while walking along Whitney Beach on the northwest edge of Longboat Key, I came across a flock of American oystercatchers. Though I have seen them in pairs or small groups in the past, I had never encountered a sizable flock; yesterday's congregation numbered sixteen. Indeed, when I filed my report with eBird, I was informed that such a number was "unusually high for the date and location."
Unmistakable, American oystercatchers are large shorebirds with distinctive black, brown and white plumage, an orange eye ring and a long, thick, bright orange bill. They feed along the shoreline and within the shallows, feasting on a wide variety of bivalves, crabs and marine invertebrates. Nests are but a scrape in the beach sand, usually placed amidst sea grass.
American oystercatchers are found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, from New England to Texas; those that summer in more northern areas move south in winter. A subspecies is also found in California (distinct from the black oystercatcher that inhabits the Pacific Coast).
