I had posted this in Avian Wild and Free before we had this wonderful Forum, but I think it's a very interesting subject to have here and it refers to the ability of the bird to flex the upper mandible. I don't know the purpose of this, although we've seen the behavior frequently in Godwits. I'm sure there's other similar birds that can do the same.
I want to thank John and Juan (same name in different language :)) for all the explanations, in a quick time this has become one of my favorites places in BPN.
Thanks Barry. This is pretty heavy anatomy, but it is useful in showing how detailed these studies can be, and if you follow along you get an understanding of how the birds do this remarkable thing.
John, you are right. The pictures in the first link show the flexibility along the beak using open triangles and really show that the beak, often thought as being an inflexible structure, is actually quite flexible in many species. Given the variety of prey, prey capture techniques and environments birds deal with, it makes sense that these adaptations have arisen and in a variety of forms. That's basically the bottom line of those references.
Finally captured a poor image of "rhynchokinesis" for myself. This is a dowitcher (short-billed I think) showing just the tip of the bill open. This allows them to probe deep into the mud then just open the very tip of the bill to capture a prey item like a worm. It would be much harder to open more of the bill because it is essentially trapped in the mud. Image created at Sackville Waterfowl Park on 9 August 2008.
Rhynchokinesis
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