About the Black-billed Gull
The black-billed gull, also called Buller's gull or tarāpuka (Māori), is a Near Threatened species of gull in the family Laridae. This gull is found only in New Zealand, its ancestors having arrived from Australia around 250,000 years ago.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
A healthy adult black-billed gull is typically 35–38 cm long, with a wingspan of 81–96 cm, and a weight of around 230g. The head, body, and parts of the wings are white, with silvery grey on the saddle and wings, as well as black edging on the wings. The gull also undergoes some seasonal color change. While typically black from February to June, the orbital ring is orange-red, red, or dark red the rest of the year. The legs, too, change from black to dark red and even bright red as the breeding season progresses, "possibly stimulated by presence of begging chicks and juveniles.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Brown-headed GullChroicocephalus brunnicephalusThe brown-headed gull is a small gull which breeds in the high plateaus of central Asia from Tajikistan to Ordos in Inner Mongolia.
Andean GullChroicocephalus serranusThe Andean gull is 42 to 48 cm (17 to 19 in) long and weighs about 480 g (17 oz); it is one of the larger members of its genus.
Hartlaub's GullChroicocephalus hartlaubiiHartlaub's gull is 37–39 cm in length, with a wingspan of 89–92 cm and a weight of 235–340 g.
Learn the Black-billed Gull for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.