South Island Pied Oystercatcher

I couldn't resist this one - that puzzled 'how do I get into this look' ! It has scooped a pipi out of the sand.......pity you can't see the next photo - as the other two came to consult (or thieve) the bird whipped the shellfish up and galloped off down the beach - I got a back view of it hurrying away. This photo clearly shows the white extending in a notch in front of the wings - Variable Oystercatchers can also be pied but do not have the white extension, an easy way to tell the difference and much easier than trying to compare bill size.