RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BILL MORPHOLOGY AND PREENING BEHAVIOR IN WADERS

The relationship between bill morphology and preening behaviour was st udied in 11 species of waders. On the assumption that species with lon g bills might be less efficient at preening than birds with short bill s, the hypothesis was tested that long-billed species devoted more tim e to preening than short-billed species. Results showed a positive rel ationship between bill length and time spent preening, supporting the hypothesis. However, bill width, bill depth and curvature were not rel ated to preening behaviour.