The Southern Black Backed Gull is a native New Zealand bird. Here are some facts about this gull, including what dubious dishonor it holds.
New Zealand is a land of birds, insects, and amazing landscapes. I love wandering along pristine beaches, amidst ancient forests, or on volcanoes. It seems like no matter where I am in the country I’ll see some native birds. It’s always cool to see some cool native birds when I’m out on a walk. One of the native birds I see almost anytime I go out for a walk is the southern black backed gull.
8 Facts About The Southern Black Backed Gull
This native bird is very, almost too common across the country. It can be found in all non-forested habitats across the country from sea level up to about 1,500 meters. It is one of the native birds that has done well since the arrival of people and is commonly found in urban areas. One reason for this is that this bird lives in open areas, and people changed this country from a land of forests to a land of grasslands.
This species can be found in countries all around the southern hemisphere, including Australia, South America, and Southern Africa. Relatives of this bird (Larus dominicanus) can be found across the world. Strangely, one relative of this bird, the California gull (larus californicus), is the state bird of Utah, which is nowhere near the coast!
New Zealand is home to 3 species of gulls. The Red billed gull, black billed gull, and the southern black backed gull. Luckily, the name of the birds make it easy to identify the different species. The red billed gull has a red bill and the black billed has a black bill. The Southern Black backed gull is larger than the other two, has a black back, and a yellow bill with a red tip on the end.
The adults may be easy to identify, but the juveniles are a bit more challenging. Juvenile gulls look very different than the adults. The adults are a lovely white with black back, but the juveniles are a scruffy, dirty brown color. They don’t acquire their adult coloring until they molt in their third or fourth year.
This native gull of New Zealand goes by many names. Some of the common names are Southern Black Backed gull, Dominican Gull, Kelp Gull (in Australia), or simply seagull. The Maori name for this bird is karoro or ngoiro for the juveniles.
These black backed gulls are opportunistic feeders. They are both predators and scavengers. They scavenge food off the side of the road, at a fish and chip shop, or at the local landfill. As I said they’re also predators. I’ve seen a series of disturbing photos that showed a black backed gull eating a live, juvenile New Zealand Dotterel.
This is the only native bird that is not protected under the Wildlife Act of 1953. These native birds were initially on the list of birds to be protected, but over time their super abundance, and being a pest led to their removal from the list. One of the reasons listed for their removal was their predation on other ‘more desirable’ native species, such as New Zealand Dotterells. Now, the southern black backed gull holds the dubious distinction of being one of the only native new zealand birds that is not protected.
In the Wellington harbor there are colonies of these birds nesting on offshore islands. There are so many birds that they’ve become not just a nuisance, but a serious threat to airplanes taking off from the nearby runway. The airport came up with a gull management plan that involved people poisoning the eggs so that the birds wouldn’t be able to reproduce.
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