[Simon Thurgood Images] [Simon Thurgood Images]


Gallery - Waders-Avocets,Stilts and Oystercatchers

Oystercatcher (Haematopodidae)

The only European member of its family


[RSPB amber conservation status][More information about Oystercatcher][ocatcher14]Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)

The Oystercatcher has been classified as a Amber list species-medium conservation concern.

This distinctive wader nests inland in some places.It feeds mostly on shellfish, especially cockles, which it extracts from the mud with its bill and prises or jabs open.It also feeds on worms.


Avocets and Stilts (Recurvirostridae)

These birds are the most elegant wading birds. they pick their way through the shallow water on stilt-like legs, snapping up insects from the air or lowering their long thin beaks into the water


[RSPB amber conservation status][More information about Avocet][Video clip about Avocet][avocet5]Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

The Avocet has been classified as a Amber list species-medium conservation concern.

Elegant,black and white wader of pools and marshes near the coast.They feed on invertebrates in shallow water which it catches by sweeping its bill from side to side. Look at the brilliant video clip by Giles Diggle to see a Avocet feeding


[bwstilt5]Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

In Britian this is a scarce migrant with only one or two birds arriving most years. It is mostly found on shallow coastal lagoons and around the shallow margins of lakes. It feeds in both fresh and brackish water.



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