Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegus
Oystercatchers (Haematopodidae) · Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)
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Often mixed up with
In quizzes, players most often confuse Eurasian Oystercatcher with these birds— either this species was picked by mistake, or the other way around.
| Species | Mix-ups |
|---|---|
| Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus | 8 |
| Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola | 7 |
| European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria | 5 |
| Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus | 4 |
| Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta | 3 |
Family
The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia. The exceptions to this are the Eurasian oystercatcher, the South Island oystercatcher, and the Magellanic oystercatcher, which also breed inland, far inland in some cases.
Order
Charadriiformes (, from Charadrius, the type genus of family Charadriidae) is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 390 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most charadriiform birds live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic (seabirds), others frequent deserts, and a few are found in dense forest.