As I preceded closer to be able to see over a small ridge of sand, I noticed that one of the Caspian Terns looked odd. It appeared to have a deformed lower mandible at first. The bird walked closer to me and I was able to determine that it was a growth from beneath the lower mandible. It appeared to be a second bill. The growth was shorter than the lower mandible, so it did not appear to hinder feeding.
Very odd! Any comments to the contributing biological causes/factors welcomed.
**Update to the deformed birds. Was talking to another birder, Allan Claybon, who was there earlier in the day yesterday. He photographed this Bonaparte's Gull with 3 legs and another Caspian with the same bill deformity. Weird stuff!
Here is the link to his Flickr photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nsxbirder/6221946174/
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That's crazy! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLooks healthy enough. Well spotted.
ReplyDeletesomething in the enviroment?
ReplyDeleteLooks like its tongue. I've a couple GBBGs that this happened to
ReplyDelete...very strange, Donald! I visited the link and saw the other photos you mentioned...even more odd. Good eye...
ReplyDeleteI am glad this tern is managing. Wonder whether it's something in the environment.
ReplyDeleteWell spotted...a very unusual thing to see.
ReplyDeleteVery strange deformity of the bill. If there are other birds with other deformities in the same place it might be an environmental pollutant.
ReplyDeleteInteresting!
ReplyDeleteKind of scarey if you ask me, to spot two deformed birds in the same area. Let's hope it's just happenstance. Excellent capture regardless!
ReplyDeleteWow! Makes me wonder about the safety of the water up there!
ReplyDeleteHmm, I wonder what the water or their food source is contaminated with. Are there any chemical discharges into the water body they inhabit?
ReplyDeleteGreat capture! This is worth investigating.
ReplyDeleteMultiple deformed birds observed as described requires an explanation. Though very unlikely, my first thought was radiation exposure from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Unfortunate reporting.
ReplyDelete