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Story: Bird migration

Wrybill with chick

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Wrybill with chick

Wrybill nests are just a shallow scrape in stony riverbeds. The young are similar in colour and shape to the surrounding stones, which helps prevent predators such as harriers and gulls from spotting them. However, they are vulnerable to introduced predators such as stoats, which hunt by smell and sound as well as by vision.

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Department of Conservation

Reference: 10039965

by M. F. Soper

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How to cite this page

Christina Troup, Bird migration – Migration within New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/7229/wrybill-with-chick (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Christina Troup, published 2 March 2009.