A spectacular, stocky build, large wader, strikingly pied; adults have an unmistakable vivid orange bill.

On northern coasts, along stony rivers and in farmed valleys, Oystercatchers nest in pairs that probably last for life. After breeding, however, they are more familiar in the south and west as birds of estuaries and sandy beaches, or rocky places with an abundance of mussels and limpets.