Kororo | Black-Backed Gull

Black and whit bird in flight with wings stretched.

You see these large birds at the beach, or maybe flocking around a fishing boat, or perhaps inland. The adults are black and white; the juveniles speckled brown. He aha tērā? What is that?

Juvenile and adult, large birds on the beach.

Answer: it’s a Kororo | Black-Backed Gull:

Identification: Length: 60 cm; Weight: 1.0 kg

Similar species: Subantarctic skua

A large black-and-white gull with a white head and underparts, black back, yellow bill with a red spot near the tip, and pale green legs. Juveniles are dark mottled brown with black bill and legs; their plumage lightens with age until they moult into adult plumage at 3-years-old.

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