Hi Denis
Not a deformity – a flexible upper mandible is found in
many waders. A message on Birding-Aus alerted me to this excellent webpage http://www.sunbittern.com/gallery-rhynchokinesis.html
discussing this ability.
Anyone like to identify the other two wader species in the
original photo?
cheers
Steve
From: Denis Wilson
[
Sent: Wednesday, 6 January 2010 1:23 AM
To: COG bird discussions
Subject: [canberrabirds] Deformed Godwit beak
Sorry
that this is NOT a local issue, but can anyone explain what is happening
with the bird featured in a North Queensland Birder's Blog?
The upper
mandible is clearly bent upwards, away from the lower mandible.
How could
it possibly probe into the mud, in the normal manner?
As they
are migratory birds, I cannot imagine how this bird survived for the period of
time required to travel around the Pacific Ocean, if it is a genetic
deformity?
The
author claims to have seen this several times, but does not document that claim.
