Photo: Dave Menke/USFWS · Kodiak Island, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge · U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service · Public Domain
← Kodiak species
Shorebirds
Black Oystercatcher
Haematopus bachmani
A large, unmistakable shorebird with all-black plumage, a long bright orange-red bill, and yellow eyes. A year-round resident on Kodiak's rocky shores, rarely moving far from the intertidal zone.
Where to look
Rocky shorelines at Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park, Cape Chiniak, and any cobble beach around Kodiak Island.
Habitat
Rocky intertidal zones and wave-washed reefs year-round.
Diet
Mussels, limpets, chitons, sea urchins, and marine worms.
Natural history note
Black Oystercatchers use their powerful flattened bills to pry open mussels and limpets, sometimes leaving the bill wedged underwater while eating.