Wrybill plovers roosting

Wrybill plovers roosting

The wrybill plover is one of several shorebird species unique to New Zealand. It is also the only bird 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.