wrybill

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wrybill

bird

Also known as: Anarhynchus frontalis, wrybill plover

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Also called:: Wrybill Plover

Related Topics:: plover

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wrybill, (Anarhynchus frontalis), New Zealand bird of the plover family, Charadriidae (order Charadriiformes), with the bill curved about 20° to the right. This unique bill configuration is present even in the newly hatched chicks. The wrybill feeds by probing under stones and by sweeping its bill like a scythe in shallow, muddy water. It is about 15 cm (6 inches) long, gray above and white below with a black breast band. The wrybill nests along rocky rivers in South Island, laying two eggs. Sizable flocks winter along the coasts of North Island.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.