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Story: Bird migration

Wrybill feeding

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Wrybill feeding

After breeding, wrybills move to muddy coastal feeding grounds. Around 2,000 birds winter at the Firth of Thames, 1,200 at Manukau Harbour, and smaller numbers at other North Island estuaries. When feeding, they slice through the wet mud with their bill to find small crustaceans.

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Eco-vista: Photography & Research

Reference: Image 010005_031027

by Brent Stephenson

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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/7230/wrybill-feeding (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Christina Troup, published 2 March 2009.