You’re on the beach, perhaps just south of the river and see these birds, probably in pairs, maybe running around on the sand. He aha tērā? What is that?
Answer: it’s a Tōrea Pango | Variable Oystercatcher:
Identification: Length: 48 cm; Weight: 720 g
Similar species: South Island pied oystercatcher, Chatham Island oystercatcher
A large heavily-built wader with black upperparts and underparts that vary from all black through a range of “smudgy” intermediate states to white. The long straight bill is bright orange, the stout legs coral-pink, and the eyes red each with an orange eye-ring.
Previously shot for food, variable oystercatchers probably reached low numbers before being protected in 1922, since when numbers have increased rapidly. They are long-lived, with some birds reaching 30+ years of age.
