Some Sea Birds of New Zealand – Part One

This is a very large bird and champion flier. The Black Backed Gull here is one of a pair, and is an adult. The juvenile Black Backed Gull can fly like their parents but they are brown and only turn into Black and White when they are 2 years old. Then they are adults.

They soar on wind currents and fly for miles everyday. They eat anything and are scavengers.

Mangere Bridge, Auckland is in the back ground. This day there are fishermen on the Old Mangere Bridge and this Gull is looking for a meal.

They have a specific place which belongs to them.

This bird lives by mud flats or a marsh. The White Faced Grey Heron lives in pairs and they have their own specific place which belongs to them. 

As you can see it wades through mud flats, it's elegant and graceful. It feeds on small fish, snails, small bugs and small crabs.

This bird has pointed wings, and can man over in the air efficiently. They dive bomb intruders that are too close to their nests.

The Caspian Tern is identified by a large head and beak. When the Caspian tern turns into an adult the head where there is grey is black. 

This Tern is a common Tern seeking a small fish in the waves of the beach. All types of Terns are this shape when they fly and they are very swift.

A beautiful bird that lives on New Zealand's sandy shores. These are protected birds. They have nests in some plants on sandy beaches and it's only too easy to walk on their eggs. The eggs are the colour of the sand.

So the area they live in are fenced off to the public and people are told to put their dogs on a leash.

Seeking food and just enjoying flying. Some have food to feed to young Gannets. The Gannet often will fly 500 miles in a day. 

An Adult Gannet about to feet their young Gannet. The young Gannet has to mature quickly as they often fly from New Zealand to Australia. 

These are nervous birds that live in a huge crowd of Oystercatchers. They come to shore when the tide is in, and they go by the water line when the tide is out. 

Some are Black and white with a red bill, others are all Black with a red bill. The bill it has resembles a red needle.