Gould described the Oyster-catcher as a 'strikingly showy bird, whether seen on the low rocky promontories of the coast or the shingly beach...' In summer the adults had jet black throats and heads, but in winter they had white collars. Throughout the year they had orange bills, red eyes and pinky flesh coloured legs, and their plumage was at its brightest prior to the beginning of the breeding season.

The illustration shows the adult in summer plumage (foreground) and in winter plumage behind.

DISTRIBUTION: Breeds in Eurasia, between about 71°N and 36°N.
Northern populations winter south to the Mediterranean, Red and Arabian seas and Iranian Gulf, south to south Africa, Sri Lanka, Burma and south China. Marked increase in numbers in twentieth century in much of northwest Europe