The American oystercatcher is rebounding along the coast of the Americas.
Hunting and egg collecting nearly wiped out the species in New England by the 20th century. But because of recovery efforts in places like Rhode Island’s Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, the species’ numbers are on the rise.
At a time when most shorebird populations in North America were shrinking, American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) numbers increased by 25% from 2008 to 2023 along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Researchers determined that low chick survival was the most important factor causing the population to plummet. Problems for the species included climate change, sea level rise, recreation and predators. But the American Oystercatcher Working Group, a collaboration of government scientists, academics, birders and other stakeholders seeking to learn more about the birds and their conservation, developed conservation plans to help the species survive across its range.
“It’s amazing and it’s a great conservation success story,” said Maureen Durkin, a wildlife biologist at the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex and leader of the banding effort, in an interview with the Associated Press.
