. Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds . Fig. -Recurved bill of Avocet. (2/3 natural size.) several of these probing Snipe, notably the Woodcock,have the power of moving the end of the upper mandi- FORM AND HABIT: THE BILL. 33 ble, which better enables them to grasp objects whileprobing. In the Avocet the bill is curved upward, and thebird swings it from side to side, scraping the bottom inits search for food. The NewZealand Wrybill has its billturned to the right for the ter-minal third, and the bird usesit as a crooked probe to pushunder stones in hunting for itsprey. The Sibe
. Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds . Fig. -Recurved bill of Avocet. (2/3 natural size.) several of these probing Snipe, notably the Woodcock,have the power of moving the end of the upper mandi- FORM AND HABIT: THE BILL. 33 ble, which better enables them to grasp objects whileprobing. In the Avocet the bill is curved upward, and thebird swings it from side to side, scraping the bottom inits search for food. The NewZealand Wrybill has its billturned to the right for the ter-minal third, and the bird usesit as a crooked probe to pushunder stones in hunting for itsprey. The Siberian SpoonbillSandpiper has a most singularbill, which is much enlarged at the end, suggesting aflat-ended forceps. The Roseate Spoonbill, an entirelydifferent bird, has a somewhat similarly shaped bill, astriking instance of the occurrence of the same form infamilies which are not closely related. But probably the most remarkable instance of relation. Fig. 21.—Bill of Spoonbill Sand-piper. (jStatm-al size.)
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidbirdlife, booksubjectbirds
