Wrybill (Anarhynchus frontalis)
Other names: Ngutuparore, wrybilled plover
The wrybill is the only known bird to have a bill that curves to one side–always to the bird's right. An incorrectly scanned slide is probably the cause of the odd left-curved wrybill photo occasionally published.
Found only in New Zealand, and the only bird in the world to have a bill curved to one side, wrybills are a unique and delightful little shorebird to photograph.
This species breeds only in the Canterbury and Otago regions of South Island. Here powerful rivers have carried vast amounts of rock from the young Southern Alps and deposited the worn fragments to form broad braided riverbeds. The peculiar bill of the wrybill seems to be an adaptation which allows the bird to probe for invertebrates between and beneath the river stones of this summer habitat. The greyish plumage of the upper surfaces ensures it blends perfectly amongst the greywacke rock. Between November and February birds fly to estuaries and harbours, mostly around the upper North Island. Here they feed on soft inter-tidal silt and mud, capturing small crustaceans by sweeping their bill through the sediment, or stalking and probing for larger prey such as worms and small crabs. Some unmated and immature birds stay on these wintering grounds through the breeding season.
The wrybill population is currently estimated to be around 4500–5000 individuals, and declining. The decline is thought to be mainly due to deterioration of their breeding habitat. Braided rivers are naturally unstable systems, forever shifting in their beds as the shingle channels respond to frequent, and often dramatic fluctuations in water levels. However, many of the wrybill's mighty rivers have now been softened by hydroelectric schemes and the demand for water to irrigate increasingly intensive agricultural activities. This allows exotic weeds to encroach on the bare gravel, meaning less space for the birds, and more cover for introduced predators like cats, mustelids and hedgehogs.
Miranda, on the western side of the Firth of Thames is the winter home to large concentrations of wrybills, and it is here that I have spent many hours prostrate in soft mud photographing them.
At high tide, while the muddy winter feeding areas are submerged, large flocks of wrybills gather on bare shellbanks to roost.
They are not difficult to approach, and while lying low I often have them walk within the minimum focusing distance of my lens. Adding a 25 mm extension tube allows closer focusing and the opportunity for intimate portraits. The trade off is the loss of infinity focusing, but when the target is large in the frame photographs of a small bird, anything more than 10 m away is not in the game anyway, even with a 600 mm lens and reduced frame digital body. By observing the behaviour of birds with the changing tides it is quite simple to get into a suitable position an hour or so before the tide will bring them into range. This does mean having to tolerate the often less than pleasant environmental conditions of a mud flat though, and the disconcerting sensation of mud crabs seeking refuge inside your clothing, all while avoiding getting mud all over camera equipment or disturbing wildlife. Usually my targets are other shorebird species, but the beauty of wrybills is that when the others fail to cooperate, wrybills will usually make an appearance. They are a good species to hone photographic skills on, such as light angle and quality, avoiding distracting elements, and anticipating and capturing interesting poses. When finished photographing, I consider it important that the retreat is made just as carefully as any approach, avoiding disturbing the birds, even when salt water may be threatening to soak photographer and gear.
You can see more photos of wrybill and other shorebirds in my photo gallery.
References and further reading
The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand, by Barrie Heather and Hugh Robertson. Published 1996 by Viking.
Birds of New Zealand Locality Guide, by Stuart Chambers. Published 1989 by Arun Books.
Reader's Digest Complete Book of New Zealand Birds. Published 1985 by Reader's Digest.