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The Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii) is a bird related to the waders, but sufficiently distinctive to merit its own family Ibidorhynchidae. It lives on the shingle riverbanks of the high plateau of central Asia and the Himalayas. This bird is quite unmistakable. The adult is grey with a white belly, red legs and long down curved bill, and a black face and black breast band. The young birds lack the black on the face and breast, and the bill is duller. The legs are bright red in the breeding adults and dull sepia in juveniles. In spite of its spectacular appearance it is inconspicuous in its stony environment. They feed by probing under rocks or gravel on stream beds. The call is a ringing Klew-klew similar to that of a Greenshank. It lays four eggs in a scrape on the ground. The taxonomy position of the family is still unclear. It may be related to both the oystercatchers and the avocets. For an alternative classification of the Charadriiformes, see Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy.
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