True to their name, Sooty Oystercatchers often eat molluscs, but they also take other invertebrates, such as crustaceans and worms, opportunistically — they eat whatever is abundant at that site. They usually forage along rocky or coral coasts, but sometimes also on adjacent sandy beaches. Prey may be stabbed, prised, levered, hammered, scissored or picked from the surface of the rocks. Although many prey items are eaten on the spot, some are taken to an ‘anvil’ where they are hammered, smashing the shell to expose their edible parts.
