UK’s oldest known Oystercatchers discovered on England’s East Coast Wetlands

Researchers are celebrating after finding two record-breaking Oystercatchers within just one month of each other on England’s East Coast Wetlands. Both birds are thought to be over 40 years old – three times higher than the average lifespan for an Oystercatcher! 

In February, a team of volunteer bird recorders and surveyors from the Wash Wader Research Group discovered the first Oystercatcher at RSPB Snettisham in Norfolk. The bird was confirmed as being 41 years and 8 months old, making it the oldest recorded Oystercatcher in the UK, beating the previous record by three months. 

Just weeks later, the same group recorded yet another long-lived Oystercatcher on the same coastline, this time confirmed as 43 years old, and a new British record!

Oystercatchers are distinctive wading birds, with long orange bills, black and white plumage and red legs. In autumn and winter, they flock to our coastal wetlands to feed on the invertebrates found in the mudflats.  

Oystercatchers have an average life expectancy of around 12 years, although birds in their 20s and 30s are regularly recorded. The discovery of these two older Oystercatchers highlights just how important our wetland habitats on The Wash are for a wide range of birds. 

Jacquie Clark from the Wash Wader Research Group describes discovering the ages of the birds: “It was amazing to find the first Oystercatcher and confirm it was the UK’s oldest, but we’re even more stunned that it’s all happened again within just a few weeks. To find an even older bird on the Wash is astounding, it just shows how crucial this huge coastal wetland is for these birds.” 

Further investigations showed the first bird had been ringed as a chick by well-known Norfolk ornithologist, Moss Taylor, in May 1983 at Weybourne in Norfolk. The second bird is thought to have been at least three years old when originally ringed in 1982, making it at least 46 years old.  (British longevity records are only taken from the date a bird was originally ringed which is why it is recorded as 43 years old.)   

Jacquie added: “Both birds have probably spent every winter here since they were ringed. We know from our long-term ringing studies that Oystercatchers, and many other species of wading bird are very site faithful. Once they find a good wintering site, with good feeding and safe places to roost, they’ll just keep coming back year on year.” 

The discovery of these two long-lived Oystercatchers highlights how important the East Coast Wetlands are for their survival. It’s likely that over-wintering sites favoured by these birds will have been passed down through the generations much like migration routes. 

Jim Scott, RSPB Estate Operations Manager for Titchwell Marsh and Snettisham explains: “The Wash is the single most important coastal wetland in the UK for migrating and over-wintering wading birds, ducks and geese supporting up to 400,000 waterbirds each year.  Up to 26,000 of these are Oystercatchers, making The Wash a site of international importance for this species, as it is for many others.  

“The records of these two birds illustrate just how important it is to protect England’s East Coast Wetlands. Like so many wading birds that repeatedly spend the autumn and winter here, Oystercatchers rely on The Wash mudflats for food as they are jam-packed with invertebrates such as ragworms, snails and shellfish.  So, in some ways it’s not really a surprise that these two record-breaking Oystercatchers choose to spend every winter here.” 

The Wash is part of England’s East Coast Wetlands, stretching from the mudflats of the Thames to the reedbeds of the Humber estuary and including 25 RSPB nature reserves. It’s a vital lifeline for hundreds of thousands of birds, including those that migrate along the ‘East Atlantic Flyway’. Every year, this globally important coastline provides food and shelter for birds such Knots, Dark-bellied Brent Geese and Black-tailed Godwits.  

In 2023, in recognition of its importance for nature, England’s East Coast Wetlands were added to UNESCOs tentative list for World Heritage status. If successful, the area could join some of the world’s most iconic natural sites, such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Islands. 

But it’s vital that we protect this precious habitat from threats including rising sea levels, extreme storms and harmful development. Through our East Coast Wetlands appeal, we’re determined to make sure that sites like RSPB Snettisham will continue to provide the vital habitats needed for migratory birds for generations to come.  

By donating to our appeal, you will be helping to protect and safeguard our wetland reserves, strengthening a coastline that’s vital to millions of birds. 

Bird ringing in Britain and Ireland is coordinated and licenced by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). Details of ringed birds are always checked with the BTO, who confirmed the records of these two Oystercatchers. Bird ringing has been used as an important scientific technique to monitor wild bird populations for over 100 years and provides important details and records about a range of birds. 

Commenting on the oldest recorded Oystercatchers, Dr Ellie Leach, Head of the BTO’s Ringing Scheme, said: "Bird ringing originated as a means of studying bird movements, but it also provides vital information about how long they live, which can help conservationists to understand why numbers are falling or increasing.  

“These two Oystercatchers have reached an age greater than many of the ringers who were involved in catching them which is amazing! Thanks to the wonderful volunteers, who invest so much time in recording the birds, and to the landowners who support their efforts, we know that the average Oystercatcher lives for 12 years, but birds in their 20s and 30s are regularly recorded, so these two birds are old, but not completely unexpected.”