Habits
This was apparently an all-year resident, and seems to have never bred or even strayed outside the eastern Canaries at least in historic times. Information about its ecology are scant and usually second-hand or inferred from circumstantial information. However, even though conjectural, these informations are consistent as the biology of oystercatchers is not very variable and the present species was a conspicuous bird well-known to locals. It was called cuervo marino ("sea raven") on Fuerteventura, grajo de mar ("sea chough") on Lanzarote, and corvino ("little raven") on Graciosa. In addition, the local name lapero ("limpet-eater") was also used, possibly on Alegranza.(Bannerman 1963)
The Canarian Oystercatcher was in all likelihood a bird of the rocky shore rather than sandy beaches; although it might have been driven from the latter as they were much more utilized by humans – which it tended to avoid (Bannerman 1963). What is known about its feeding habits indicates that had always been less commonly found in beach habitat. As with all oystercatchers, its diet consisted of small molluscs and crustaceans rather than oysters. Especially the limpets Patella candei, Patella piperata, and Patella cf. ulyssiponensis, as well as the African mussel Perna (perna) picta were favorite prey items (Hockey 1996).
Its vocalizations were given as repeated kvirr or kvik-kvikkvik (Álamo Tavío 1975), and the alarm call peepe-peepe peepe-peepe (Bannerman 1963). The birds appear to have been territorial in the breeding season and vagrant, but not occurring in large groups, at other times (Hockey 1987).
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