Oystercatcher

Fort De Soto, Florida.

Sea Pies, as they are called in some parts of the world, are distinctive shorebirds. This individual, standing in shallow, calm, lightly inflowing water, head just up from an exploratory probe (note the water drop!), presents a useful profile. We can see the long, broad beak: ideal for prying open, when necessary, stubborn bivalves like mussels and (of course) oysters. But that is not always necessary: those legs—note how thick they are—hint at another Oystercatcher speciality: these birds are masterful at standing on rocks, even as the ocean’s mighty tide flows over, without being displaced. The shellfish open their shells when the water flows over—this is their feeding technique—and the Oystercatchers are there waiting, armed with a technique of their own.