Wrybill

Anarhynchus frontalis Quoy & Gaimard, 1832

Wrybill, Anarhynchus frontalis, is a plover of New Zealand, breeding on rivers in the South Island and moving north to the North Island outside the breeding season. It is the only bird known to have a bill that curves sideways in one direction, and that bend is always to the right. It nests among rocks beside rivers. When its eggs are at risk, it draws attention away by acting injured and leading an intruder off from the clutch. It was described by Quoy & Gaimard in 1832 and belongs to the family Charadriidae.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Charadriidae — Plovers

Breeding range

Australasia: rivers of South I. (New Zealand)

Nonbreeding range

to n North I. (New Zealand)