Waders' beaks - again

["Philip Veerman" <>]

Hi All,

For those interested in this. Between three pieces of information, all of which 
match but take different approaches, we have a full story. It is clear that 
there are two types of cranial kinesis (which is the term I used for both): 
rhynchokinesis as in this case and, the other being prokinesis (the common 
form). I'd say it must be that the same mechanism that applies, the difference 
being the point of flexure in the beak and the point of attachment of the 
quatratojugal to the premaxilla. It sounds complex but actually it is easy to 
demonstrate on a bird's skull. 

Philip