Sergey Dereliev

Large wader breeding in variety of habitats along coasts of Europe from Portugal to N. Russia. Also breeds inland on agricultural land in low countries, UK, Sweden and Eastern Europe. Northern populations migratory, partial migrant in Western Europe but inland breeding areas vacated during non-breeding season, resident in South. Mass movements during prolonged cold spells in Western Europe. Population decreasing, trend approaching ‘Threatened’ threshold. Feeds on bivalves, gastropods, polychaetes and crustaceans in coastal habitats, earthworms and insect larvae inland. Hunted in France.

Season of assessment

B

Population trendDecreasing
Population size
(min-max, best estimate)		526000-692000,598000
Red List categoryVU
Franks, S., Fiedler, W., Arizaga, J., Jiguet, F., Nikolov, B., van der Jeugd, Ambrosini, R, Aizpurua, O., Bairlein, F., Clark, J., Fattorini, N, Hammond, M., Higgins, D, Levering, H., Skellorn, W., Spina, F, Thorup, K. Walker, J., Woodward, I. and Baillie, S.R. (1) (2022) Online Atlas of the movements of European bird populations. https://migrationatlas.org EURING/CMS (1) Principal investigator
Map

Overall Connectivity for Eurasian Oystercatcher

Populations from Iceland, occ. Greenland, Faroe, Orkney, Shetland and Norway winter primarily in UK estuaries. Birds breeding Denmark, Sweden, Finland and White Sea move to estuaries in Netherlands, Germany and France. Part of Western European breeders winter along French coasts. Frequent exchange among Estuaries in UK, Netherlands, Germany and France, partly weather induced. Few birds reach coast of Portugal, S. Spain, Morocco, occ. Banc d’Arguin in Mauritania. Bird ringed as nestling in NL recovered during first autumn in Senegal. Connections for Eastern breeders few; Birds from Poland, Belarus and Russia NNE of Moscow connect to UK, Dutch and French coast in winter, but one bird in August along Black Sea coast found E. of St. Petersburg, Russia during breeding.

Recoveries by Condition for Eurasian Oystercatcher

Few encounters before 1950, then steady increase with peak 1984-1987 due to massive ringing in Dutch SW Delta. Then stable around 1500 annually.  Most birds ringed in June when young reach ringing age. Almost two-thirds of encounters are ring recoveries or ring readings. Few birds are shot, vast majority of which in France. Ringing recoveries most numerous in UK, ring readings in the Netherlands.

Annual Movements for Eurasian Oystercatcher

In January, all birds concentrated along shores of UK, Netherlands, Belgium and France. Southernmost wintering sites already vacated by end February, first birds appear on Norwegian coast and in Iceland mid-March. Eastern European inland sites -passage, breeding or both?- reached end April, when also birds in Baltic return. By end May northern and easternmost breeding sites in N Norway, White Sea and other Russian sites are reached. High densities of encounters in June in all coastal and inland breeding sites when most young birds are ringed. Already in July, first birds re-appear on French coasts, increasing in August when also birds appear in Iberia. Few re-encounters along African coast all in Sept-Dec.

Connectivity by Month by Region for Eurasian Oystercatcher

UK winterers reach Iceland in April, N. Norway May. First N. Norway birds already return to UK in July, most have left Norway by September. Birds in winter on French coasts connect to breeding sites in N. Norway and White Sea in June/July, and to breeding sites closer by in low countries in April. Birds wintering in estuaries in SW Netherlands mainly connect to breeding sites elsewhere in the Netherlands, both inland and coastal, mainly in April/May. Birds ringed later during breeding in June/July more often connect to wintering sites in France. Birds in non-breeding season in Italy connect to Russia in April-June, and Baltic coast in August-Sept. Birds in Sept-March on coasts of Iberia mainly connect to breeding sites in Scotland, Netherlands, S. Norway and S. Sweden in June.

Henk van der Jeugd

References

Statistics Map
N records N individuals N recoveries
Mapped data*
Total available data
*Mapped data include only distant (>= 50 km) recoveries