Lecture: Black Oystercatchers

Black Oystercatchers are Monterey’s charismatic signature bird of the rocky intertidal ecosystem, one of California's and the west coast's iconic habitats. Until recently, little was known of the population status and distribution of Black Oystercatchers in California. It is a Special Status Species of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to its rarity and vulnerability to a number of threats. Beginning in 2011 and continuing in 2012, coastal Audubon Chapters including Monterey Audubon and its volunteers conducted extensive individual and breeding bird censuses for the species resulting in dramatic improvements to our collective understanding of the species.