Variable Oystercatcher Haematopus unicolor

A large, stocky shorebird endemic to New Zealand. Adults vary in color from all black to pied, with a range of intermediate morphs in between. Juveniles have a dark-tipped bill, browner plumage, and gray legs. A coastal bird, breeding on sandy beaches, sand spits, rocky coasts, and occasionally the shores of coastal lakes. Will forage in paddocks. Gives a loud piping alarm call. Pied-morph birds appear similar to South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) and Chatham Oystercatcher. Adult pied-morph Variable Oystercatchers are visibly larger, with smudgy border between pied plumage on breast. Also note less white showing forward of folded wing around “shoulder.”