Haematopus moquini
Silhouette: terngirl · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The African oystercatcher or African black oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini) is a large charismatic wader resident to the mainland coasts and offshore islands of southern Africa. This oystercatcher has a population of over 6,000 adults, which breed between November and April. The scientific name moquini commemorates the French naturalist Alfred Moquin-Tandon who discovered and named this species before Bonaparte.
The African oystercatcher is a large, noisy wader, with completely black plumage, red legs and a strong broad red bill. The sexes are similar in appearance, however, females are larger and have a slightly longer beak than males. Juveniles have soft grey plumage and do not express the characteristic red legs and beak until after they fledge. The call is a distinctive loud piping, very similar to Eurasian oystercatchers. As the Eurasian oystercatcher is a migratory species they only occur as a vagrant in southern Africa, and its black-and-white plumage makes confusion impossible.
Body Length: 42–45 cm (17–18 in) Wingspan: 80 and 88 cm (31 and 35 in) Mass: ♂ 665 g (1.466 lb) ♀ 730 g (1.61 lb) Tarsus: 50.6 to 60.8 mm (1.99 to 2.39... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Two Oceans Aquarium | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Black Oystercatcher sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 98 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 122nd most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Black Oystercatcher in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May–June and September–October, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Black Oystercatcher sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate African Black Oystercatcher sightings, Addo Elephant National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 70%), Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 20%) and De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 20%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Charadriiformes
The closest relatives of the African Black Oystercatcher that you can see in Addo Elephant National Park (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are Blacksmith Lapwing (about 40%), Crowned Lapwing (about 30%) and Dominican Gull (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Black Oystercatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Addo Elephant National Park (98 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
