• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note
Haematopus ostralegus and H. finschi were previously lumped as H. ostralegus (del Hoyo and Collar 2014), but have once more been recognised as species following a review of additional material allowing the scoring of the taxa against each other and H. longirostris, H. chathamensis, and H. unicolor (G. Ehmke in litt. 2015, Hayman et al. 1986, Marchant and Higgins 1993). This restores the taxonomic position of the two species prior to del Hoyo and Collar (2014).

Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2019. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 4. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v4_Dec19.zip.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2019	Near Threatened	A2bc+3b+4bc
2016	Not Recognised
2014	Not Recognised
2012	Least Concern
2009	Least Concern
2008	Least Concern
2004	Least Concern
2000	Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994	Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988	Lower Risk/Least Concern

Migratory status	full migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	36,600,000 km2	medium
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding)	98,000,000 km2	medium
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	500000-999999 mature individuals	poor	suspected	2019
Population trend	decreasing	-	estimated	1979-2020
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	20-29%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	20-29%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	20-29%	-	-	-
Generation length	13.7 years	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	1-89%	-	-	-

Population justification: The global population is estimated to number c. 925,000-1,030,000 individuals, based on expert opinion (Wetlands International 2019), and comprising the three separate subspecies of H. o. ostralegus (820,000), H. o. longpipes (100,000-200,000) and H. o. osculans (5,000-10,000; Wetlands International 2019). This is roughly equivalent to 616,667-686,667 mature individuals, here placed in the band 500,000-999,999 mature individuals. Population estimates are lower than those of recent assessments due to the recent taxonomic split, whereby Haematopus finschi (South Island Oystercatcher), previously considered a subspecies of Haematopus ostralegus (del Hoyo et. al. 2014), was designated a separate species.

Trend justification: The overall population trend is decreasing (Wetlands International 2019, Nagy et al. 2014, van de Pol et al. 2014, van Roomen et al. 2014a, BirdLife International 2015). The population of ostralegus, the largest of the three subspecies, increased strongly between the 1960s and the 1990s (van de Pol et al. 2014), but has subsequently declined significantly, at a rate exceeding 40% over three generations. The long-term increases are often ascribed to successful adaptation to breeding inland on newly available agricultural grasslands (Meltofte 1993, Goss-Custard et al. 1996) however, apparent concurrent increases in coastal populations contrast with this view. The longipes population is reported to be stable (Sarychev and Mischenko 2014, van Roomen et al. 2014b) and the trend for the osculans population is unknown (Melville et al. 2014). Recent rapid declines in the H. o. ostralegus population may however be part of a longer-term fluctuation. Mechanical shellfisheries operations have been severely restricted in the Netherlands (van de Pol et al. 2014), however, there has not been a concomitant halt in the population decline despite food stocks recovering (M. van de Pol in litt. 2016). Further information is needed to confirm whether the population may reach stability in the future or if it will continue to decline. Because of this uncertainty, the overall rate of decline is currently placed in the band 20-29% in three generations although the current rate within the largest population appears to be higher.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Afghanistan	extant	native				yes
Albania	extant	native	yes
Algeria	extant	native			yes
Austria	extant	native		yes
Azerbaijan	extant	native			yes	yes
Bahrain	extant	native			yes	yes
Bangladesh	extant	native			yes
Belarus	extant	native		yes
Belgium	extant	native	yes
Bosnia and Herzegovina	extant	native		yes
Bulgaria	extant	native	yes
Cape Verde	extant	native			yes
China (mainland)	extant	native		yes	yes
Côte d'Ivoire	extant	native			yes
Croatia	extant	native				yes
Cyprus	extant	native				yes
Czechia	extant	native				yes
Denmark	extant	native	yes			yes
Djibouti	extant	native			yes
Egypt	extant	native			yes
Eritrea	extant	native			yes
Estonia	extant	native		yes
Ethiopia	extant	native			yes
Faroe Islands (to Denmark)	extant	native	yes
Finland	extant	native		yes		yes
France	extant	native	yes			yes
Gambia	extant	native			yes
Georgia	extant	native		yes		yes
Germany	extant	native	yes			yes
Ghana	extant	native			yes
Gibraltar (to UK)	extant	native				yes
Greece	extant	native	yes			yes
Guinea	extant	native			yes
Guinea-Bissau	extant	native			yes
Hungary	extant	native				yes
Iceland	extant	native	yes
India	extant	native			yes	yes
Iran, Islamic Republic of	extant	native		yes	yes	yes
Iraq	extant	native			yes
Ireland	extant	native	yes			yes
Israel	extant	native				yes
Italy	extant	native	yes			yes
Japan	extant	native			yes
Jordan	extant	native				yes
Kazakhstan	extant	native		yes
Kenya	extant	native			yes
Kuwait	extant	native			yes	yes
Kyrgyzstan	extant	native		yes		yes
Latvia	extant	native	yes
Libya	extant	native			yes
Lithuania	extant	native		yes
Malta	extant	native				yes
Mauritania	extant	native			yes
Moldova	extant	native		yes
Montenegro	extant	native		yes
Morocco	extant	native			yes
Myanmar	extant	native			yes	yes
Netherlands	extant	native	yes
Nigeria	extant	native			yes
North Korea	extant	native		yes
North Macedonia	extant	native	yes
Norway	extant	native	yes			yes
Oman	extant	native			yes	yes
Pakistan	extant	native			yes
Palestine	extant	native				yes
Poland	extant	native		yes
Portugal	extant	native			yes
Qatar	extant	native			yes	yes
Romania	extant	native	yes
Russia	extant	native		yes		yes
Russia (Asian)	extant	native		yes
Russia (Central Asian)	extant	native		yes
Russia (European)	extant	native		yes		yes
Saudi Arabia	extant	native			yes
Senegal	extant	native			yes
Serbia	extant	native		yes
Sierra Leone	extant	native			yes
Slovakia	extant	native				yes
Somalia	extant	native			yes
South Korea	extant	native	yes		yes
Spain	extant	native	yes			yes
Sri Lanka	extant	native			yes
Sudan	extant	native			yes
Sweden	extant	native	yes			yes
Switzerland	extant	native				yes
Syria	extant	native				yes
Taiwan, China	extant	native			yes
Tajikistan	extant	native				yes
Tanzania	extant	native			yes
Tunisia	extant	native			yes
Türkiye	extant	native		yes	yes
Turkmenistan	extant	native		yes
Ukraine	extant	native	yes			yes
United Arab Emirates	extant	native			yes	yes
United Kingdom	extant	native	yes			yes
Uzbekistan	extant	native		yes
Western Sahara	extant	native			yes
Yemen	extant	native			yes	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
China (mainland)	Shuangtai (Shuangtaizi) Estuary and Inner Gulf of Liaodong
China (mainland)	Yalu Jiang Estuary
Denmark	Fanø
Denmark	Mandø
Denmark	Rømø
Denmark	Vadehavet (Wadden Sea)
France	Baie de Saint-Brieuc
France	Baie des Veys et Marais du Cotentin
France	Baie du Mont Saint Michel et Ile des Landes
France	Camargue
France	Cap Gris-nez
France	Estuaires picards : baies de Somme et d'Authie
France	Etangs Montpellierains
France	Petite Camargue laguno-marine
Germany	Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park
Germany	Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park (includes the Halligs, Kniepsand/Amrum, Lister Koog, Rantumbecken, Rickelsb
Greece	Amvrakikos gulf
Greece	Axios, Loudias and Aliakmonas rivers' deltas
Greece	Evros delta
Greece	Mesolongi and Aitoliko lagoons, Acheloos delta and Evinos estuary
Guinea-Bissau	Arquipélago dos Bijagós
Guinea-Bissau	Cantanhez forests
Guinea-Bissau	Rio Cacheu
Iran, Islamic Republic of	Khouran Straits
Iran, Islamic Republic of	Rud-i-Gaz and Rud-i-Hara deltas
Iran, Islamic Republic of	Rud-i-Shur, Rud-i-Shirin and Rud-i-Minab deltas
Iran, Islamic Republic of	Shadegan marshes and tidal mudflats of Khor-al Amaya and Khor Musa
Ireland	Dundalk Bay
Mauritania	Banc d'Arguin National Park
Montenegro	Bojana Delta
Netherlands	Delta Coast
Netherlands	Oosterschelde
Netherlands	Wadden Sea
Netherlands	Westerschelde & Saeftinghe
Oman	Barr al Hikman
Oman	Masirah island
Oman	Ras al Hadd
Russia (Asian)	Malkachan bay
Russia (Asian)	Moroshechnaya River
Russia (European)	Delta of the River Don
Saudi Arabia	Tarut Bay
Senegal	Delta du Saloum
Senegal	Joal-Fadiouth
Senegal	Kalissaye Avifaunal Reserve
Senegal	La Petite Côte
Sierra Leone	Sierra Leone River Estuary
Sierra Leone	Yawri Bay
South Korea	Geum-gang river and estuary
South Korea	Namyang Bay
South Korea	Yubu-do island
Tunisia	Îles Kneiss
United Kingdom	Burry Inlet
United Kingdom	Dee Estuary
United Kingdom	Mid-Essex Coast
United Kingdom	Moray Basin, Firths and Bays
United Kingdom	Morecambe Bay
United Kingdom	Ribble and Alt Estuaries
United Kingdom	The Wash
United Kingdom	Uists Machairs, Lochs and Coast
United Kingdom	Upper Solway Flats and Marshes

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable Land	suitable	breeding
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	Coastal Freshwater Lakes	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Intertidal	Mud Flats and Salt Flats	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Intertidal	Rocky Shoreline	suitable	breeding
Marine Intertidal	Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses)	major	breeding
Marine Intertidal	Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc	major	breeding
Marine Intertidal	Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches	major	breeding
Marine Intertidal	Tidepools	suitable	breeding
Marine Intertidal	Tidepools	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Neritic	Estuaries	suitable	non-breeding
Wetlands (inland)	Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)	suitable	breeding
Altitude		Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Agro-industry farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching - Scale Unknown/Unrecorded	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use	Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (large scale) [harvest]	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Reduced reproductive success
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Species mortality
Climate change & severe weather	Droughts	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Climate change & severe weather	Habitat shifting & alteration	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Climate change & severe weather	Storms & flooding	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Energy production & mining	Oil & gas drilling	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Energy production & mining	Renewable energy	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Human intrusions & disturbance	Recreational activities	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Species disturbance
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Crassostrea gigas	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Indirect ecosystem effects, Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Neovison vison	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Spartina alterniflora	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases - Named species	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases - Named species	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Unknown		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases - Vulpes vulpes	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic species/disease of unknown origin - Unspecified species	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Viral/prion-induced diseases - Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1 subtype)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Future		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Species mortality
Natural system modifications	Dams & water management/use - Abstraction of surface water (unknown use)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Pollution	Agricultural & forestry effluents - Herbicides and pesticides	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Species mortality
Pollution	Domestic & urban waste water - Sewage	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Species mortality
Pollution	Industrial & military effluents - Oil spills	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Species mortality
Pollution	Industrial & military effluents - Type Unknown/Unrecorded	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Species mortality
Residential & commercial development	Commercial & industrial areas	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem conversion

Purpose	Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture	international
Sport hunting/specimen collecting	subsistence, national

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/eurasian-oystercatcher-haematopus-ostralegus on 23/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/12/2024.