black-billed gull - Larus bulleri
Photographed on the Ashley River, Canterbury, New Zealand. These photos show adults and chicks, or just chicks. The chicks are not quite fledged, but rapidly loosing their down and gaining flight feathers.
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
New Zealand status: Endemic
Conservation status: Nationally Endangered.
Species Information
Breeding and ecology
The black-billed gull has the undesirable status of being the most threatened gull species in the world. Though still relatively abundant, numbers of birds in Southland, the national stronghold, are rapidly declining. Nevertheless, colonies can still number in the thousands. The black-billed gull is found only in New Zealand, unlike our two other common gull species. They are less likely to be found in towns and cities than the other gulls, and are not commonly observed scavenging for food. Interestingly, though declining overall, the black-billed gull has recently expanded its breeding range in the North Island, and now breeds as far north as the Kaipara Harbour.
Identification
The black-billed gull is more slender and elegant than the red-billed gull, with a longer bill. Breeding adults have a white head, neck, rump, tail and underparts, and pale silver-grey wings and back. The outer primaries are mainly white with white-tipped black margins. A diagnostic white leading edge to the wing shows in flight. The bill and legs are black; during late incubation and hatching the legs become vibrant blood red. The eye is white, and the eye-ring red. Non-breeding adults have a bi-coloured bill, reddish at the base with a black tip and line through the middle. During autumn-winter, all ages may have a grey patch above, below and in front of eye. Immature (2nd year) birds have a grey eye, black eye-ring, bi-coloured bill (pinkish red with dark grey-black tip and line through middle) and pinkish-red legs (some almost orange). Juveniles have variable amounts of grey-brown on the crown and ears, lost during late summer/autumn. The tail is white, sometimes with a grey-brown subterminal band. The wing is pale silver-grey with brownish terminal margins; large brown-black tips to the tertials and a dark carpal bar are retained through the first year. In flight, juveniles have a dark trailing edge to secondaries and white tipped primaries. The black outer webs of the primaries are variable, distinctly darker than adults, thus the predominantly white leading fore edge of adults is absent. The bill is bi-coloured, dull pale pink with a dark grey-black tip; the eye is black, the eye-ring is grey-black and the legs are dull pale pink. (Source: www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz)
black-billed gull - Larus bulleri
Photographed on the Ashley River, Canterbury, New Zealand. These photos show adults and chicks, or just chicks. The chicks are not quite fledged, but rapidly loosing their down and gaining flight feathers.
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
New Zealand status: Endemic
Conservation status: Nationally Endangered.
Species Information
Breeding and ecology
The black-billed gull has the undesirable status of being the most threatened gull species in the world. Though still relatively abundant, numbers of birds in Southland, the national stronghold, are rapidly declining. Nevertheless, colonies can still number in the thousands. The black-billed gull is found only in New Zealand, unlike our two other common gull species. They are less likely to be found in towns and cities than the other gulls, and are not commonly observed scavenging for food. Interestingly, though declining overall, the black-billed gull has recently expanded its breeding range in the North Island, and now breeds as far north as the Kaipara Harbour.
Identification
The black-billed gull is more slender and elegant than the red-billed gull, with a longer bill. Breeding adults have a white head, neck, rump, tail and underparts, and pale silver-grey wings and back. The outer primaries are mainly white with white-tipped black margins. A diagnostic white leading edge to the wing shows in flight. The bill and legs are black; during late incubation and hatching the legs become vibrant blood red. The eye is white, and the eye-ring red. Non-breeding adults have a bi-coloured bill, reddish at the base with a black tip and line through the middle. During autumn-winter, all ages may have a grey patch above, below and in front of eye. Immature (2nd year) birds have a grey eye, black eye-ring, bi-coloured bill (pinkish red with dark grey-black tip and line through middle) and pinkish-red legs (some almost orange). Juveniles have variable amounts of grey-brown on the crown and ears, lost during late summer/autumn. The tail is white, sometimes with a grey-brown subterminal band. The wing is pale silver-grey with brownish terminal margins; large brown-black tips to the tertials and a dark carpal bar are retained through the first year. In flight, juveniles have a dark trailing edge to secondaries and white tipped primaries. The black outer webs of the primaries are variable, distinctly darker than adults, thus the predominantly white leading fore edge of adults is absent. The bill is bi-coloured, dull pale pink with a dark grey-black tip; the eye is black, the eye-ring is grey-black and the legs are dull pale pink. (Source: www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz)