Haematopus leucopodus
Silhouette: terngirl · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The Magellanic oystercatcher (Haematopus leucopodus) is a species of wader in the family Haematopodidae. It is found in Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands in freshwater lake and sandy shore habitats. The Magellanic oystercatcher has a length between 42 and 46 cm (17 and 18 in). The male weighs around 600 g (21 oz) and the female is a little heavier. This bird has a long, orange beak, yellow eye and eye ring, and yellow legs. The head, breast, back, wings and tail are black and the underparts are white, as are the feathers on the inner part of the wing which can be seen in flight. It is very similar in appearance to the American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), but can be distinguished by the yellow ring of bare skin that surrounds its yellow eye and the white secondary feathers. No other species of oystercatcher has these two features, and it is also the only New World species to have a black rather than a brown back. The call is similar to other oystercatchers, a repeated high-pitched "pee-pee".
This species is native to the southern tip of South America. Its range includes southern Argentina, Tierra del Fuego and other nearby... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 3 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Magellanic Oystercatcher sighting in Península Valdés on a given day, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 60th most-seen of the 96 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.
February and March
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Magellanic Oystercatcher in Península Valdés on a given day, against under 5% in April, August and October, the lowest months. June and July have too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Magellanic 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.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Magellanic Oystercatcher sightings, Península Valdés ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Tierra del Fuego National Park (Argentina, about 20%) and Torres del Paine National Park (Chile, about 20%).
Same genus: Haematopus
The closest relatives of the Magellanic Oystercatcher that you can see in Península Valdés (genus Haematopus, Oystercatchers) are American Oystercatcher (about 80%) and Blackish Oystercatcher (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Magellanic Oystercatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Península Valdés (42 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.
