The birds of Gard: the oystercatcher, this shellfish lover in danger of extinction

Un oiseau que l'on aperçoit surtout du côté du Grau-du-Roi. Christophe Grousset

Chaque dimanche de l’été, en partenariat avec le CoGard, découvrons ces oiseaux qui peuplent la région.

L’huîtrier pie, Hematopus ostralegus en latin, Agaça de marin Occitan, is a species of partial migratory shorebird. Breeding birds in France are sedentary. They are joined in the fall by individuals from Great Britain, the Netherlands and Fennoscandia.

Listen to the bird song! .

With its pink legs and its long, fairly powerful and straight, red-orange beak, its plumage black above and white below, it cannot be confused with any other species. It is rather a large bird of almost 50 cm long, 85 cm wingspan and up to 800 g. Although it mainly nests in Brittany and Normandy, there is a small population in the south of France along the coast.

A population that is dwindling but can be hunted

In the Gard, it is mainly noted in Grau-du-Roi, both in summer and winter. But the number of nesting pairs is in sharp decline: only about ten. Its diet consists of shellfish, which gave it its name. It also feeds on crabs, worms and various insects found in the mud. In a simple bowl on the ground, the nest is summarily furnished mainly with algae and shellfish. The female lays an average of four eggs incubated by both parents for a little less than a month. The chicks are precocial: they leave the nest very quickly, still fed by the parents for a little over a month. They then begin to fly.

The species relies on a low number of chicks per year, which is offset by its longevity, which can reach 40 years. The species is classified as endangered on the red list of breeding birds in Occitanie. Despite this, it remains a huntable species in France.

Centre ornithologique du Gard (CO Gard), 56 avenue René Pasquier 30190 Saint-Chaptes. 04 66 06 83 36. www.cogard.org.