Galapagos birdlife - shore birds Oystercatchers

These birds feed on crustaceans and molluscs and are also able to open crab shells with their strong beaks.  This is a distinctive black and white bird with a striking orange bill. It has a loud shrill call and is frequently both seen and heard around the shoreline.

Their distintive beak is a hammer and a knife. These handsome looking countershaded waders use their bright beak to stab a bivalve between the shells of many moluscs and slice the strong adductor muscles to get at the meat inside, they also hammer away on the shell of a sea urchin, crab or mollusk.

They patrol the beaches for food and are somewhat approachable, they actually come close tourists. Chicks are often seen trying to get their own food when just a few weeks old. This behaviour is typical of shore birds who are less dependant on parents than sea birds.