A big, bold shorebird that patrols much of New Zealand’s coastline. It’s chunky and powerful, with a long, bright orange-red bill, coral-pink legs, and a loud piping call that carries over surf and wind. The word “variable” in its name comes from its feather patterns: some birds are completely black, others are black-and-white “pied”, and many are somewhere in between, with smudgy or mottled patches. In the far south, most birds are all black, while further north, you see more pied and mottled individuals. Whatever the pattern, adults always have black upperparts, a strong, straight bill like an orange dagger, and a keen, red-rimmed eye that makes them look very alert and a little bit fierce.

These birds are almost entirely coastal and are rarely seen far from the sea. They favour sandy beaches, sandspits, shell banks and estuaries, but will also use rocky shores and reef platforms where there is good feeding. If you watch a pair for a while, you’ll often see them working the tide line as the water falls, striding along the wet sand and stopping to probe for shellfish, worms, crabs and other invertebrates. Their main foods are bivalve shellfish like cockles and pipi. Some birds prize them open by sliding the bill between the shells and twisting; others hammer the shell on one side until it cracks. After heavy rain, variable oystercatchers sometimes head into nearby paddocks to hunt for earthworms, but they usually return to the beach once things dry out.

Variable oystercatchers nest on open sand or shingle, sometimes among low dune plants or driftwood, using just a shallow scrape they have kicked out of the ground. They may line it with a few small stones or shell fragments, but many nests are extremely simple. Into this exposed bowl they lay two or three stone-coloured, speckled eggs that blend nicely with their surroundings.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

New Zealand

5,000-20,000

Official estimate

LC

2025

Breeding