Miocepphus (SciiFii)

The oystercatcher auk (Miocepphus americanum), also known as the oyster-catching auk and the oyster-eating auk, is a species of alcid that originally lived in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina during the Miocene and Pliocene as an extinct species of Miocepphus and the genus itself was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the modern Atlantic coastlines of North America to help boost biodiversity. The oystercatcher auk is about 113 grams (4 ounces) on average, making it a rather small member of the auk family. As its name suggests, the oystercatcher auk has a long beak designed for probing for bivalves, gastropods, limpets, mussels, chitons, and polychaete worms, which are the most important part of the oystercatcher auk's diet, similarly to true oystercatcher (Haematopodidae), albeit more suited for hunting aquatic invertebrates than true oystercatchers. Like many members of the auk family, the oystercatcher auk is capable of true powered flight. Both sexes are similar, but the males are slightly larger and have a more pronounced red hue on their beaks. In the breeding season, these birds gather in large nesting colonies at the coasts which have a density of 20 nests per 100 m2. The breeding season begins with the arrival of adult oystercatcher auks at the breeding colonies in March and extends into late August and September when the chicks are mature enough to leave the colonies. One of the largest of these colonies is located on the Mexican coastlines. Nests are built under bushes or in burrows. Two or three eggs are laid. Incubation lasts 39–42 days, a task which the parents share in 10- to 15-day shifts. The chicks are cared for by both parents for 29 days and are fed every two to three days. Normally, both are raised through adulthood, though occasionally only one chick is raised. The conservation status of the oystercatcher auk is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts and the oystercatcher auk's wide range.