Table 1	Synopsis of Color Characters in Oystercatchers (from Jehl 1985, Table 1)
	Jehl considered birds with character scores from 0-9 Black, 10-29 hybrids, and 30-38 American.

CHARACTER				CHARACTER STATE AND SCORE

Upper tail coverts		0	black, as in bachmani
				1	black, a few white mottlings
				2	nearly equally black and white
				3	white, a few black mottlings
				4	white, as in palliatus

Tail				0	black, as in bachmani
				1	mainly black, trace of white at base of vanes
				2	basal quarter of rectrices white
				3	basal third of rectrices white
				4	basal half of rectrices white, as in palliatus

Chest				0	black, with black chest band extending smoothly onto mid-belly, as in bachmani
				1	black chest band extending onto upper third of belly
				2	black chest band extending onto upper quarter of belly
				3	black chest band bordered by ragged edge on upper breast
				4	black chest band sharply delimited from white of upper chest, as in palliatus

Belly				0	blackish, as in bachmani
				1	blackish, with traces of white on a few feathers
				2	blackish, white area around crissum
				3	three quarters black, one quarter white
				4	nearly equally black and white
				5	three quarters white, one quarter black
				6	entirely white, as in palliatus

Under tail coverts		0	entirely black, as in bachmani
				1	mainly black with slight white mottling
				2	nearly equally black and white
				3	mainly white
				4	entirely white, as in palliatus

Thighs				0	entirely black, as in bachmani
				1	black with grayish underdown, not noticable externally
				2	puffs of grayish down noticeable
				3	mainly white
				4	entirely white, as in palliatus
	
Greater secondary coverts 	0	lacking, as in bachmani
   (width of white edging	1	less than 2 mm
   in folded wing)		2	2-5 mm
				3	6-15 mm
				4	more than 15 mm

Extent of white wing stripe	0	lacking, as in bachmani
				1	white markings confined to inner half of secondaries
				2	white markings extend to outer secondaries, but not onto primaries
				3	white present on some or all of inner five primaries
				4	white present on at least one of primaries 6-10

Underwing coverts		0	entirely black, as in bachmani
				1	mainly black, some white mottling
				2	nearly equally black and white
				3	mainly white
				4	white, as in palliatus
	
Axillars			0	black, as in bachmani
				1	mainly black, some white mottling
				2	nearly equally black and white
				3	mainly white
				4	white, as in palliatus