American Oystercatcher
Haematopus palliatus
Spanish: Ostrero americano
The American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), occasionally called the American pied oystercatcher, is a member of family Haematopodidae. Originally called the "sea pie", it was renamed in 1731 when naturalist Mark Catesby observed the bird eating oysters. The current population of American oystercatchers is estimated to be 43,000. There are estimated to be 1,500 breeding pairs along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the US. The bird is marked by its black and white body and a... Most often recorded in May, Aug, Jun, Nov.
- 2026-05-23 — observation by isa_moguel
- 2026-05-03 — observation by adriang100
- 2025-08-07 — observation by dani1212
- 2025-06-04 — observation by titomich
- 2023-05-19 — observation by davidgalindo
- 2020-11-20 — observation by jacobyamahar6
Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Birds guide iNaturalist Wikipedia
Cite as: “American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/haematopus-palliatus/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.