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African Black Oystercatcher

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

           iAfrican Black Oystercatcher

                             Conservation status

   Near Threatened (NT)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Charadriiformes
   Family:  Haematopodidae
   Genus:   Haematopus
   Species: H. moquini

                                Binomial name

   Haematopus moquini
   ( Bonaparte, 1856)

   The African Black Oystercatcher, Haematopus moquini, is a large wader
   which is a resident breeder on the rocky coasts and islands of southern
   Africa. This oystercatcher has a population of less than 5,000 adults.

   The African Black Oystercatcher is a large and noisy plover-like bird,
   with completely black plumage, red legs and a strong broad red bill
   used for smashing or prying open molluscs such as mussels, or for
   finding earthworms. The sexes are similar in appearance, but juveniles
   are browner than adults.

   The African Black Oystercatcher is unmistakable in flight with its
   all-dark plumage. The call is a distinctive loud piping, very similar
   to Common Pied Oystercatcher. That migratory species can occur as a
   vagrant in southern Africa, but its black-and-white plumage makes
   confusion impossible.

   The nest is a bare scrape on pebbles or shingles. The female generally
   lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated by both adults.

   The scientific name commemorates the French naturalist Alfred
   Moquin-Tandon.
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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