These eastern bar-tailed godwits from the Arctic have gathered at Manukau Harbour (near Auckland) with South Island pied oystercatchers. After flying long distances, they replenish their reserves so they can return to breed in the Arctic. New Zealand’s estuaries and harbours are concentrated food sources, where migratory waders congregate. They feed by probing the mud with their long bills, finding molluscs, worms and crabs.
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Department of Conservation
Photograph by Dick Veitch
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