These are a wading bird native to Australia and are found in coastal areas throughout the continent except for areas of unbroken sea cliffs such as the Great Australian Bight, closely related forms are found in almost every continent in the world. They prefer mudflats, sandbanks and sandy ocean beaches and are less common along rocky or shingle coastlines, the easiest place to find them on the Capricorn Coast is along Farnborough Beach which is where the photo was taken.
The name "oystercatcher" is something of a misnomer because they seldom eat oysters, which are found mainly on rocky coastlines; here the diet is mostly bivalve molluscs such as pippies, cockles and clams with worms, crustaceans and insects also being eaten. The molluscs are prised apart with the birds specially adapted bills, the techniques they use to break open the shells of the molluscs vary greatly and are thought to be learned behavior.
The sexes are identical and during the breeding season between October and January a breeding territory is formed and fiercely defended by both birds. The nest is a shallow scrape in sand, shell grit or shingle just above high water mark on beaches, sandbars, margins of estuaries and lagoons. Two or three well camouflaged eggs are laid with both birds sharing parenting duties.