General Description: Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) are plump black shorebirds with a large, red bill, red eye rings, pink legs, and a yellow eye. Juveniles are browner, including the bill.

Taxonomy: Charadriiformes, Haematopodidae.

Favored Habitat: Black Oystercatchers are birds of rocky Pacific coastlines.

Where to Find: Don't look for Black Oystercatchers around Las Vegas. Rather, look for them along the Pacific Coast of North America.

Comments: Black Oystercatchers are having a hard time these days, at least along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. Numbers are declining, and they seem to be having a difficult time raising chicks.