Sentence:  So in the spring my room and that portion of the veranda set aside for the purpose always had at least half a dozen cages and boxes containing <WSD>gape-mouthed</WSD> baby birds or birds that I had managed to rescue from the sportsmen and which were recuperating with makeshift splints on wings or legs. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Having a wide-open mouth.