The image shows a gull standing on a wooden pier. The bird has a predominantly white body with a light gray tint on its wings. Its beak and legs are black, and it has a distinctive red-ringed eye. The tail feathers are black with white spots. The background is a calm, grayish body of water – a lake. The wooden surface of the dock has visible grain and knots, adding texture to the scene.

Tarāpuka

The least common gull in Aotearoa New Zealand is the Tarāpuka (Black-billed Gull, Larus bulleri). While the young of the similar Tarāpunga (Red-billed Gull) have black legs and bill, the white eye of this bird clearly distinguishes it as an adult Tarāpuka.

This one was sitting calmly on the end of the wharf at Lake Rotoiti, Nelson Lakes National Park.


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