American Oystercatchers

The Oystercatchers are funny-looking birds. I like their beaks - they are long and neon red and very photogenic:



But although they look squared away, they are pretty damn sharp if you view them head on:



As their name implies, the Oystercatchers use them to grab mollusks and crabs from the surf:







But sometimes the surf gets the best of them:


The Oystercatcher chicks' beaks start black and become more red as they mature:


When they fly in formation, they synchronize their wing swings (well, they try - the one on the bottom is not with the program, apparently):