Many who have not seen Black Oystercatchers in real life believe that the color of their eyes and beaks has been over-saturated in post-processed photos. That is not the case.
Female Black Oystercatchers can be identified by the presence of prominent, dark, irregular "eye flecks" or pigment spots within their bright yellow irises, often making the black pupil appear larger or irregularly shaped. These dark spots, which are more extensive and consistent in females compared to males, provide a reliable, high-accuracy (approx. 94%) field method for determining the sex of adults.
