Black
Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) - Black
Oystercatchers are resident along the Pacific coast
from the Aleutian Islands to Baja Mexico. They are present
along the Oregon coast in rocky intertidal habitat.
Black Oystercatchers are highly territorial, solitary
nesters. They feed among the rocky intertidal areas
where they live and build their nests above the high
water mark in a natural shallow rock depression. Nests
are small depressions in the rock lined with bits of
collected pebbles and shell. Nests are often used again
year after year. They begin laying a three egg clutch,
in early May. Incubation is shared by both sexes for
a period of 26 - 27 days. The young are fed limpets
and shellfish and will fledge at about five weeks. Despite
the name, Black Oystercatchers do not eat oysters, nor
do they "catch" their food. Instead they use
their long bright reddish-orange beaks to find black
mussels and retrieve it with quick jabs. Oystercatchers
will also chip small holes in the shells of limpets
and mussels to reach their prey. They will dislodge
limpets and chitons from rocks with quick jabs of their
bills. Their diet consists of bivalves and other mollusks,
crabs, sea urchins, and barnacles. Longevity record
is 6 years. Black Oystercatchers can be seen year-round
in Oregon at Haystack Rock
in Cannon Beach, and Yaquina
Head.
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Western
Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) - The Western
Sandpiper breeds mostly in Alaska and winters along
the coast from California to South America. They are
the most common migrating shorebird seen on the Oregon
coast. These shorebirds are found in estuaries, beaches
and mudflats, feeding and resting before resuming their
migration. Western Sandpiper belongs to the small shorebird
group called the "peeps." They make their
nest in a depression in the tundra and line it with
grasses. Their clutch size is four eggs, with an incubation
period lasting approximately twenty days. The young
fledge within nineteen to twenty days after hatching.
Their diet consists mostly of aquatic invertebrates
and crustaceans. In Oregon, Western Sandpipers are found
at Bandon Marsh NWR,
Siletz Bay NWR, and
most other bays, marshes, and estuaries.
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Least
Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) - The Least
Sandpiper breeds in Alaska across Canadian territories,
wintering in British Columbia south along the coast
to California. These birds can often be found on mudflats
with the Western Sandpiper but will also feed in wet
grassy areas. Compared to the Western Sandpiper, these
shorebirds are much smaller. In fact, the Least Sandpiper
is the smallest peep worldwide. A nest is made from
moss and grass in a depression or hummock in the tundra.
Clutch size is four with a twenty day incubation period.
They feed mainly on invertebrates they find in the mud,
but will also eat plant materials and insects. These
shorebirds can be seen in Oregon estuaries, inlets,
flooded fields, and inland grassy areas. They are found
at Bandon Marsh,
Siletz Bay, and Nestucca
Bay NWR.
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Black
Turnstone (Arenaria melanocephalia) - Often
seen with Ruddy Turnstones (A. interpres) and
surfbirds (Aphriza virgata), these three species
are part of the group commonly called the “rock-pipers.”
In non-breeding plumage, ruddy tunstones are lighter
brown in color, slightly smaller and have a lower pitched
call than the black, and the surf birds are more uniformly
grey and the largest of the rock-pipers. All three species
breed in coastal Alaska and winter on rocky coasts from
British Columbia to Baja California. Ruddy turnstones
have a much larger range, nesting in Alaska and northern
Canada, and wintering on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
They feed by using their short stout bills to turn over
stones and clumps of seaweed. Rock pipers have varied
diets including crustaceans, mollusks, worms and barnacles.
Each of the three species seen on Oregon
Islands NWR has a slightly different diet that
allows them to occupy different niches on Oregon’s
rocky coasts.
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Dunlin
(Calidris alpina) - Formerly called the Red-Backed
Sandpiper, the Dunlin breeds in the Alaska tundra east
to Hudson Bay. Dunlins have a prominent black belly
with their breeding plumage but are otherwise similar
in appearance to other peeps. They winter along the
Pacific and Atlantic coasts and are the last to migrate
through Oregon in the fall due to the late molting of
their flight feathers. Dunlins can be found on beaches,
mudflats, and inland shores. A large number also winter
in inland river valleys. The clutch size is normally
four eggs with twenty days of incubation and the same
number of days for the young to fledge. They occasionally
have two broods per season. Their diet is mostly invertebrates.
Although hard to spot, Bandon
Marsh is one of the best places on the Oregon coast
to see them.
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Semipalmated
Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) - The Semipalmated
Plover can be found breeding in Alaska and east across
Canada to Nova Scotia. While a rare breeder in Oregon,
it winters along the coast from British Columbia to
South America. This shorebird rests and eats on sandy
beaches, mudflats, and salt marshes. Unlike other sandpipers,
this shorebird does not probe the sand or mud for food.
Instead, the semipalmated plover with its shorter bill
eats from the surface in quick bursts stopping to scan
for the next run. They feed primarily on mollusks and
crustaceans. Although rare, Semipalmated Plover's that
do breed in Oregon use dune habitat and build a nest
out of shell fragments in sandy soil. Clutch size is
four eggs with a twenty day incubation time. The young
fledge at about twenty to thirty day after hatching.
They can be found at
Bandon Marsh NWR and on most sandy beaches.
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Western
Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus)
- The Pacific Coast population of the Western Snowy
Plover breeds from southern Washington to Baja California.
The population was federally listed as threatened in
1993. Historic records indicate that nesting Western
Snowy Plovers were once more widely distributed throughout
their range. There were between 24 and 28 breeding sites
in Oregon. Now only nine exist, primarily as a result
of habitat loss. Today, approximately 100 breeding adults
are found in Oregon. Most remain year-round, with some
migrating north or south in the winter. These birds
use sandy coastal beaches and dry mudflats for breeding
and non-breeding habitat. Like the Semipalmated Plover,
the Western Snowy Plover does not probe into the substrate
for food. Instead it relies on sight to forage, scanning
the ground for invertebrates. Nests are generally made
in open, sandy areas. A typical clutch size is three,
with chicks requiring 30 days to fledge. Adults will
use distraction displays to lure predators away from
chicks. Public use at some beaches on the south-central
coast of Oregon is restricted from March 15 to September
15 to protect nesting habitat. For more information
on how you can help the Western Snowy Plover, view the
Sharing
the Beach brochure. To read about the Oregon population
visit the Snowy
Plover webpage.
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Whimbrel
(Numenius phaeopus) - One of the larger shorebirds,
the Whimbrel breeds on all continents except for Antarctica.
In North America the Whimbrel breeds in Alaska and Canada,
and can be found wintering along the Pacific, Atlantic,
and Gulf coast. These shorebirds like open mudflats,
sandy beaches, and pastures. The Whimbrel's loud distinct
call make its presence known. Like most other shorebirds,
each clutch consists of four eggs. The incubation period
is about thirty days and another thirty to forty days
to fledge after hatching. Whimbrels eat mostly invertebrates,
crabs, worms, and fish, but while breeding, fruits are
part of their diet. These shorebirds can be seen at
Siletz Bay, Bandon
Marsh, flooded pastures, and up and down the coast
on open beaches.
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Long-Billed
Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) - Long-Billed
Dowitchers breed on the Arctic tundra and migrate along
western North America, wintering from British Columbia
to south of Mexico. During migration, this is the most
abundant dowitcher in Oregon. The habitat of the Long-Billed
Dowitcher consists of mudflats and shallow marshy pools,
though this dowitcher prefers freshwater habitats. Unlike
the plovers, the Long-Billed Dowitcher is a probe eater,
its diet consisting mainly of aquatic invertebrates,
amphipods, bivalves as well as earthworms if feeding
in flooded pastures. Each clutch consists of four eggs,
with a twenty day incubation period. This shorebird
can be seen in most inland areas as well as estuaries
and bays.
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Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) - Killdeer breed in Alaska
and east across the continent to Newfoundland and south
as far as Mexico. They can be found wintering from British
Columbia across the U.S. into parts of South America.
The Killdeer is common in areas west of the Cascades
in Oregon and is one of the only shorebirds that breeds
in Oregon and is present year-round. The habitat preferred
by these birds are flooded agricultural fields, vacant
lots and golf courses as well as mudflats, sandy areas,
and short grass prairies. In Oregon, laying begins in
March. Killdeers lay their clutch of four eggs on bare
ground and if threatened while nesting, will display
an elaborate show of faking an injured wing then flying
off followed by their distinct loud call. Incubation
lasts approximately thirty days and the young fledge
twenty-five days after hatching. Killdeer typically
have two broods in a season. These shorebirds have more
of a terrestrial diet rather than aquatic. Their diet
includes grasshoppers, earthworms and other insects
found in open fields. Killdeer are inconspicuous in
their nesting areas but once spotted, their double black
breast bands give them away.
