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Oystercatchers feeding on oysters

An American Oystercatcher, Haematopus palliatus, forages along the edge of an oyster bed in a North Carolina estuary. Oystercatchers are a protected species in the state, their population dramatically falling over the last few decades due to disturbance of nesting areas by both off road vehicle use along the beaches as well as rising sea levels born of climate change. Oystercatchers are the only shorebird capable of prying open oysters and clams, which means many other species of birds will often follow oystercatchers as they forage in hopes of picking up scraps. These birds are one of the species that the Audubon Society and Southern Environmental Law Center sued Cape Hatteras National Seashore for allowing the oystercatcher population to go unprotected for many decades.

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oystercatcher--17.jpg
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Jared Lloyd
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An American Oystercatcher, Haematopus palliatus, forages along the edge of an oyster bed in a North Carolina estuary. Oystercatchers are a protected species in the state, their population dramatically falling over the last few decades due to disturbance of nesting areas by both off road vehicle use along the beaches as well as rising sea levels born of climate change. Oystercatchers are the only shorebird capable of prying open oysters and clams, which means many other species of birds will often follow oystercatchers as they forage in hopes of picking up scraps. These birds are one of the species that the Audubon Society and Southern Environmental Law Center sued Cape Hatteras National Seashore for allowing the oystercatcher population to go unprotected for many decades.