Red-billed Gull

Description:

In Māori they are called Tarāpunga and this subspecies seems to be only found in New Zealand. These beautiful little birds have a predominantly white head and body with a light grey back and wings. They also have pale eyes with a red ring around them. The most noticeable features are its bright red bill, and legs.

Habitat:

Cruising around on the wet sand at Smails Beach, Dunedin.

Notes:

It was a reasonably cool day with cloud cover. Bit of a breeze on arrival which picked up a bit and there was a light sprinkle when leaving the beach. Found this interesting information: "[R]ed-billed gulls are reasonably numerous, [but] their numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate and so they are considered to be 'Nationally Vulnerable'. (https://www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/urbanna... ) Some more reading: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/4114...