American Oyster Catchers (Haematopus palliatus) were at the brink of extinction! This beautiful shore bird is still on the bird watch list. Many shore birds are rare or at risk of extinction partly because they nest in the sand. Their nesting habitats are always puttinf them at risk or on in an endangered status. American Oyster Catchers are species of special concern on many state watch lists. You can find this rare shore bird nesting in the sand. The bird was previously known as the Sea Pie until naturalist Mark Catesby saw them eating oysters in 1731 and named the Oyster Catcher birds. The come back began with the enactment of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918. In 2010 there were 43,000 birds and an estimated 15,000 nesting pairs. This bird can be identifided by its bright red orange bill, black above and white below and white wings stripes visible when it flies. American Oyster Catchers feed primarily on mollusks or bivalves, particularly, clams, oysters and mussels. They often look for a mollusk with a partially open shell and jam their beak into it seeking to sever its abductor mussel. Unfortunately, some birds have drown when an oyster attached to a large rock clamps its shell on the birds beak and unable to move, the bird drowns when the tide comes in! They will also use their bird bill or bird beak to hammer open and break the shells of many different mollusks. They will also use their long red orange beak to probe the sand in search of mollusks and crustaceans. Beaches are often closed or roped off to protect sensitive bird nesting areas. American Oyster Catchers make a shallow depression in the sand and lay eggs in it. This makes them particular vunerable to human beach disturbances and activities, as well as to aggressive birds and mammals such as coyotes, raccoons, opposums and more. These rare, endangered, at risk of extinction, shore nesting birds are vunerable to habitat destruction and beach development, climate change and plastics in the oceans. Birds ofen mistake plastics for food with fatal results.
You can help these birds by recognizing them and their nesting sites so you will not disturb them. Be aware of posting and beach closures designed to protect beach nesting birds and avoid those places. You can also join or donate to local advocacy groups like the American Littoral Society. My channel is dedicated to teaching about biology and nature. Enivornmental education is my focus. My topics cover everything from fungi to plants and animals of all kinds. Each episode includes detailed information, how to identify, natural history, ethnobotany and everything you should know about the organism.
If you are interested in learning more about the American Littoral Society, finding out how to donate, how to join or to participate in activities, please see the linkgs below!
www.littoralsociety.org/
Donate:
www.littoralsociety.org/donat...
Join:
www.littoralsociety.org/membe...
Education:
www.littoralsociety.org/educa...
and so much more! Please explore their home page:
www.littoralsociety.org/
20 май 2022
