Emma
Dangerfield19:39, Nov 22 2018
Critically
endangered black-billed gulls on Ashley River
The
arrival of the largest colony of black-billed gulls seen on North Canterbury's
Ashley River in almost 20 years has prompted calls for river users to
take extreme care.
Black-billed
gulls are endemic to New Zealand and are the most threatened gull species in
the world. The Department of Conservation estimates
there are about 60,000 breeding adults left, and the population is
expected to decline by up to 70 per cent over 10 years or three
generations.
The new
colony, located just below the State Highway 1 bridge, is likely to have grown
in number because of recent weather patterns, Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group
member Grant Davey said.
"We
normally attract one colony every year. This one would be the largest
since we started bird management 18 years ago, and has probably been swelled by
birds arriving from the Waimakariri River, which was swept clear of all nests
by the major flood of a couple of weeks back."
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