Haematopus ater
Silhouette: terngirl · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The blackish oystercatcher (Haematopus ater) is a species of wading bird in the oystercatcher family Haematopodidae. It is found in Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and Peru, and is a vagrant to Uruguay. The population is estimated at 15,000–80,000.
The blackish oystercatcher's plumage is slaty-black with wings and back rather dark brown. The long bill is blood-red and the legs are white. The sexes are similar in appearance. The bird is easily overlooked on a rocky shore, its dark colour blending with the rocks on which it walks as it forages, and it does not draw attention to itself. Its presence, however, can easily be detected by its loud and distinctive warning calls. Its song, when given in duet, consists of an excited chatter of piping whistles. Calls include notes that sound like "pip" and "peeeeyeeee".
The blackish oystercatcher is native to the coasts of Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and Peru, and it is a vagrant to Uruguay. Its natural habitats are rocky shores. It feeds in the intertidal zone on rocky shorelines, in rockpools and on pebble beaches. Rarely, it can be found on sandy beaches hunting for mole crabs...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Pan de Azúcar National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 3 | Falkland Islands | 🇫🇰 Falkland Islands | |
| 4 | Paracas National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 5 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 2 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisbon Oceanarium | 🇵🇹 Portugal |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Blackish Oystercatcher sighting in Pan de Azúcar National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 20 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blackish Oystercatcher sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Blackish Oystercatcher sightings, Pan de Azúcar National Park ranks 2nd at about 60%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Península Valdés (Argentina, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blackish Oystercatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Pan de Azúcar National Park (24 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.
