Australian Pied Oystercatcher

The Australian Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris) is a striking shorebird found along coastlines and estuaries right around Australia. Easily recognised by its bold black and white plumage, vivid orange-red bill and bright pink legs, it’s a bird that stands out on any beach. Despite the name, oysters aren’t a major part of their diet — they use that long, strong bill to prise open mussels, pry limpets off rocks and probe sand for worms and crabs. Pied Oystercatchers mate for life and are fiercely protective of their nests, which are little more than shallow scrapes in the sand — making them particularly vulnerable to disturbance from beachgoers and off-leash dogs. These photographs capture this handsome shorebird foraging, resting and going about life on the water’s edge.