Birds on the shore
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Curvaceous
This Wrybill was near Palmerston North on a mudflat full of Bar-tailed Godwits, in Manawatu Estuary, North Island, New Zealand. Note the unique side bending of its bill. All Wrybill bills bend to the right. The scientists who study them on their breeding grounds along braided glacial rivers on NZ's South Island speculate the curve helps them forage for insects and other small invertebrates. In the winter they migrate to North Island and feed on exposed mudflats, like this individual.
