Spitsbergen, Svalbard, 79° N
Tropical Oceans
In the Field
Photo by Matthew Fuirst. Less than 1 day old American oystercatcher chicks in a nest (Photo taken on Nantucket, MA). These birds are precocial meaning that the chicks are born already with feathers and relative mobility. American oystercatchers are specialists in coastal ecosystems since they feed primarily on bivalves. The U.S. FWS has listed this shorebird species as a species of concern due to a decline in nesting habitat along the east coast. Oystercatchers also make their nests as a small little scrape in the sand making them vulnerable to predators.

