wrybill

These extraordinary birds nest on the shingle of the huge rivers of South Island, and after breeding the whole population moves to estuaries on North Island. The wrybill is the only bird that has a bill bent to the side; their bills all bend to the right to suit their feeding action (head down with left eye close to the mud). There were plenty on show at the Miranda Shorebird Centre but we found some closer just by where we had our picnic at Ray's Bay, a few miles north from there.