Haematopus leucopodus
Silhouette: terngirl · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Magellanic Oystercatcher sighting in Torres del Paine National Park on a given day, based on 251 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 106 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Magellanic Oystercatcher in Torres del Paine National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to April, the lowest months.
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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Magellanic Oystercatcher sightings, Torres del Paine National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tierra del Fuego National Park (Argentina, about 20%).
Same order: Charadriiformes
The closest relatives of the Magellanic Oystercatcher that you can see in Torres del Paine National Park (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are Southern Lapwing (about 60%), Brown-hooded Gull (about 20%) and Magellanic Snipe (about 10%), 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 Torres del Paine National Park (251 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.
