Tarāpuka - New Zealand's only endemic gull and the most threatened gull species in the world
Black-billed gull (Tarapuka)
Source: http://blog.forestandbird.org.nz/not-just-another-gull/
The black-billed gulls are actually quite shy and tend to mind their own business. They live inland, nesting on braided rivers – sometimes quite far from the coast. They feed at sea, but also like bugs from muddy paddocks or wet grassy areas.
Black-billed gulls are in trouble and now appear on threatened species lists, along with the kiwi and kākāpō.
Over the next 30 years, their numbers are expected to drop by more than 70 per cent. Just 40 years ago, there were nearly 200,000 of these birds, but now just 70,000 remain.
Like many of our native birds, introduced predators like cats, stoats and ferrets are a big problem for black-billed gulls. They’re known to take eggs, chicks and even adults. Weeds on their riverbed habitat is also a problem as it takes away space for them to breed and can force them closer to the water’s edge, which means their nests are more likely to get washed away.
Sulphur Bay Wildlife Refuge
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