African Black Oystercatcher
Haematopus moquini
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyHaematopodidae (Oystercatchers)
- GenusHaematopus (Oystercatchers)
- SpeciesHaematopus moquini (African Black Oystercatcher)
The African oystercatcher or African black oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini) is a large charismatic wader resident to the mainland coasts and offshore islands of southern Africa. This oystercatcher has a population of over 6,000 adults, which breed between November and April. The scientific name moquini commemorates the French naturalist Alfred Moquin-Tandon who discovered and named this species before Bonaparte. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a African Black Oystercatcher sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, based on 146 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at iSimangaliso Wetland Park
European Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegus
African Jacana
Actophilornis africanus
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Water Thick-knee
Burhinus vermiculatus
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Collared Pratincole
Glareola pratincola
African Wattled Lapwing
Vanellus senegallus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a African Black Oystercatcher in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a African Black Oystercatcher sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, based on 146 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see African Black Oystercatcher in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for African Black Oystercatcher in iSimangaliso Wetland Park in our monthly data.