When a group of Eastern curlew landed on the beach at Oyster Point in Queensland, Australia, Franziska Speck knew she had to snap some photos. These large shorebirds are endangered, so getting the chance to watch them and capture the moment is definitely a special thing, especially since they’re only in Australia for a few months out of the year.
“The Eastern curlew is a summer visitor to our mudflats and sandy beaches,” Speck told The Dodo.
The birds were in the middle of a feeding frenzy, with emphasis on the frenzy, so trying to take photos was a little bit of a challenge. Speck did her best, though, and crossed her fingers that she’d gotten a few good shots. As she scrolled through the photos, she was pleased to see the results were mostly pretty good — and then she landed on one that was a different story altogether.
“About 50 to 60 birds were coming in to land and I just took several photos, and when I checked the photos, I thought, ‘Wow,’” Speck said.
The photo is of an Eastern curlew who, at first glance, looks like he has two beaks, one in the front and one in the back. It’s such a strange, eye-catching photo — and the result of incredibly funny timing.
It seems as though another bird had either landed or was passing through behind the bird in the photo, and somehow, Speck had taken a photo when the second bird was lined up perfectly behind the first bird, with only his beak still showing. It’s a very rare, once-in-a-lifetime shot, and Speck couldn’t stop laughing when she first saw it.
Of course, another explanation could be that the strange bird in the photo really does have two beaks. I guess we’ll never know for sure.
