BIRDS OF NEW YORK 



359 



lateral membrane, and the middle and outer webbed at the base ; no hallux ; 

 plumage pied, commonly iii large dark and white areas; bill and feet bright 

 colored; habitat maritime; food largely mollusks which they open or dis- 

 lodge with their wonderfully constructed beaks. 



Haematopus palliatus Temminck 

 American Oyster-catcher 



Haematopus palliatus Temminck. Manuel d'Ornithologie. 1820. 2:532 



DeKav. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 217, fig. 183 

 A. O. 'U. Check List. Ed. 2. 1895. No. 286 



haemd'topus, Gr. di/iuiroirous, red-footed; pallia' tus, Lat., cloaked, or wearing a 



pallium 



Description. Large; head, neck, upper breast shiny black; back, wing 

 coverts, rump, and central tail coverts smoky brown; primaries and terminal 

 portion of tail blackish; 

 part of secondaries, lat- 

 eral and longer tail co- 

 verts, base of tail and 

 under parts white; bill, 

 eye ring and eyes red; 

 feet pale purplish. 



Length 17-21 inches ; 

 extent 30-36; wing 9.8- 

 10.25; tail 4; tarsus 2- 

 2.5 ; middle toe and claw 

 1.75; bill 2.9-3.75; depth 

 of bill in front of nos- 

 tril .5. 



This species inhabits 

 temperate and tropical 

 America from New Jer- 

 sey and Mexico to Chili 

 and Brazil. It rarely 

 wanders up the coast to 

 Long Island, Cape Cod 

 and the coast of Maine. In the days of DeKay and Giraud, it was evi- 

 dently more common on the coast, as Giraud speaks of obtaining them singly 



American oyster-catcher. Haema top us palliatus Temminck. From 

 specimen in State Museum, i nat. size. 



