Haematopus fossil map
Where fossils of Haematopus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 11.63 million years ago to the present (Tortonian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Haematopodidae |
| Named by | Linnaeus 1758 |
| Fossil records | 16 occurrences at 8 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | New Zealand, United States, Ukraine, South Africa, Italy |
| Rock formations | txn:39585, Yorktown, Hillgrove, Peace River |
About Haematopus
The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide, apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and Southeast Asia. The exceptions to this are the Eurasian oystercatcher, the South Island oystercatcher, and the Magellanic oystercatcher, which also breed inland, far inland in some cases. In the past there has been a great deal of confusion as to the species' limits, with discrete populations of all black oystercatchers being afforded specific status but pied oystercatchers being considered one single species.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Oystercatcher (revision 1370714744), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q27515.
