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The Oystercatchers are a group of waders; they form the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are large obvious and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.

In some species, the bill shape varies according to the diet. Those birds with blade-like bill tips prise open or smash mollusc shells, and those with pointed bill tips tend to probe for worms.

They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions. They are all-black, black and white or brown and white in appearance.

Their eggs are laid in a shallow scrape on shingle.

• ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES
• Suborder Charadrii: waders
  • Family Thinocoridae: seedsnipe
  • Family Pedionomidae: Plains Wanderer
  • Family Scolopacidae: snipe, sandpipers, phalaropes, and allies
  • Family Rostratulidae: painted snipe
  • Family Jacanidae: jacanas
  • Family Chionididae: sheathbills
  • Family Burhinidae: thick-knees
  • Family Haematopodidae
    • Western Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani
    • American Pied Oystercatcher H. palliatus
    • Common Pied OystercatcherCommon Pied Oystercatcher : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Charadriiformes : Haematopodidae : Haematopus ostralegus Binomial name Haematopus ostralegus Linnaeus, 1758 The Common Pied Oystercatcher or in Europe just Oystercatcher is a wader in the Oystercatc H. ostralegus
    • Canarian Black Oystercatcher H. meadewaldoi
    • African Black OystercatcherThe African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini is a large wader which is a resident breeder on the rocky coasts and islands of southern Africa. This oystercatcher has a population of less than 5,000 adults. The African Black Oystercatcher is a large o H. moquini
    • Variable Oystercatcher H. unicolor
    • Magellanic Oystercatcher H. leucopodus
    • Sooty Oystercatcher H. fuliginosus
    • Blackish Oystercatcher H. ater
    • Chatham Islands Oystercatcher H. chathamensis

• • Family RecurvirostridaeRecurvirostridae : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Charadriiformes : Recurvirostridae Genera Recurvirostra ''Himantopus ''Cladorhynchus Recurvirostridae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadri. It contains two distinct groups: The avocets, with l: avocets
  • Family Ibidorhynchidae: Ibisbill
  • Family Charadriidae plovers and lapwings
  • Family Pluvianellidae: Magellanic Plover
  • Family Dromadidae: Crab Plover
  • Family Glareolidae: pratincoles and coursers
• Suborder Lari: gulls and allies; 4 families
• Suborder Alcae: auks; 1 family