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Story: Birdwatching

Wrybills roosting

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Wrybills roosting

The wrybill is one of several shorebird species unique to New Zealand. It is also the only bird in the world with a sideways curving bill. The birds use it to reach small invertebrates under round stones in the riverbeds where they breed in summer. It also acts like a sieving spoon as they sift through fine mud for crustaceans at coastal mudflats, where they feed in winter.

Using this item

Department of Conservation

Reference: 10031481

by Dick Veitch

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How to cite this page

Gordon Ell, Birdwatching – Native and introduced birds, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/11933/wrybills-roosting (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Gordon Ell, published 2 March 2009.