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

Taxonomic note
Occasional hybridization recorded with H. longirostris (Collins et al. 1999, Hewish 1989, McGarvie and Templeton 1974). Form opthalmicus generally considered to be a subspecies of present species on basis of putative region of intergradation with nominate fuliginosus in W Australia, where both taxa rare, but no good evidence of interbreeding; also, some confusion regarding range limits of both forms, with opthalmicus usually said to be restricted to Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York Peninsula; striking differences in eyering colour suggest that opthalmicus may well be a distinct species; field and laboratory research required in order to clarify this case; emendation of name to ophthalmicus is not justified. Two subspecies currently recognized.

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2024	Least Concern
2016	Least Concern
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	not a migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	10,200,000 km2
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	7700 mature individuals	poor	estimated	2024
Population trend	increasing	-	suspected	-
Generation length	12.54 years	-	-	-

Population justification: The population is estimated to number 11,500 individuals, roughly equating to 7,700 mature individuals. The overall population trend is increasing (Wetlands International 2023).

Trend justification: The overall population trend is stable, although some populations have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006).

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Australia	extant	native	yes
Christmas Island (to Australia)	extant	vagrant			yes
Indonesia	extant	vagrant			yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
Australia	Chalky, Big Green and Badger Island Groups
Australia	Coffin Bay
Australia	Corner Inlet
Australia	Eastern Flinders Island
Australia	Franklin Sound Islands
Australia	Gulf St Vincent
Australia	Hunter Island Group
Australia	King Island
Australia	Melaleuca to Birchs Inlet
Australia	Montebello Islands
Australia	Recherche Archipelago
Australia	Robbins Passage and Boullanger Bay
Australia	Tourville and Murat Bays
Australia	Venus Bay

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Marine Intertidal	Mud Flats and Salt Flats	major	non-breeding
Marine Intertidal	Rocky Shoreline	suitable	breeding
Marine Intertidal	Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses)	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Intertidal	Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc	major	non-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
Altitude	0 - 50 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Purpose	Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture	international

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/sooty-oystercatcher-haematopus-fuliginosus on 18/12/2024.
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 18/12/2024.