Habitat
Obligate inhabitants of intertidal zone. Habitat is exclusively associated with the high tide margin of the inter- tidal zone, and includes mixed sand and gravel beaches, cobble and gravel beaches, exposed rocky headlands, rocky islets, and tidewater glacial moraines. In Alaska, highest breeding densities occur on non-forested islands dominated by sloping beaches of shell or gravel (Andres 1998). In winter, flocks concentrate on protected, ice- free tidal flats (Hartwick and Blaylock 1979).
References
Andres, B. A. 1998. Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani). Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Restoration Notebook. 8 pp.
Hartwick, E. B. and W. Blaylock. 1979. Winter ecology of a Black Oystercatcher population. Stud. Avian Biol. 2:207-215.
