Update on the Oystercatchers

I had done a short posting a few weeks back, about the Oystercatchers here in New Zealand. With out traveling several hundred miles to some distant islands, there are there are two species of Oystercatcher. The South Island, and the Variable. The catch here is the color variations, per the name of the Variable Oystercatcher. There is the all black, the Pied version, that is black and white that is similar to the South Island Oystercatcher, and then there is the Intermediate phase.

We will start with the South Island Oystercatcher, as there is only one of them, and it is with out the most common. As you can see the white from the breast and belly extends well up above the front of the wings.

With the Pied Phase of the Variable Oystercatcher, it virtually ends with the front of the wind. The line from black to white is a little less defined as well.

The Black Phase of the Variable Oystercatcher is just that, all black.

Where the fun comes in (Well at least for me) is finding what is called an Intermediate Phase Variable Oystercatcher. Now you have  a mottled black and white breast and belly area. Here is a pictures of this phase that I have found, along side a South Island Oystercatcher.