Starvation Impacts

Due to changing conditions at sea, starving gulls have become increasingly reliant on scavenging and are therefore ‘seen’ more in residential areas. This adaptive behaviour is a direct result of reduced food sources and reliance on alternative means of survival. Unfortunately the increased ‘visibility’ of gulls, leads to public misunderstanding that the species is increasing, when the opposite is true - with vast population losses.

Loss of body condition leads to emaciation, high parasite burdens and organ failure, resulting in severely compromised gulls which are easily preyed on by roaming cats and dogs. Starving gulls are less likely to move out of the way of oncoming vehicles in search for roadside food scraps - leading to increased vehicle strike mortality.

Red-billed gulls are a slow reproducing species in which individual adults do not necessarily breed every year. Chicks fledge in poor condition and are inexperienced foragers faced with challenging times, making them highly susceptible to starvation. Few juveniles survive, with even fewer immature gulls surviving to adulthood and becoming part of the breeding population. More adaptable resourceful adults may persist with scavenging in urban environs, but with decreased survival, reduced breeding success and low juvenile recruitment, the population faces ongoing decline. 

With low juvenile recruitment there are not enough young birds to replace ageing adult birds. This results in an ageing population of long-lived birds (30 year lifespan) which die without succession, resulting in a sudden and inevitable population crash. This is how local colonies become extinct within a relatively short time span and how a species diminishes in distribution, until it is critically endangered. 

Conservation

Red-billed gulls are on the brink because of human actions - with the current rate of alarming decline this taonga species is at risk of extinction. A national plan for long-term monitoring of the red-billed gull population is urgently needed. Increased conservation efforts are vital to alleviate pressures.

Climate-induced fluctuation in the availability of krill, the principal food source of gulls, has a major impact on reproductive success. Addressing climate change at a national and global scale, increasing marine reserve coverage, and relieving fishing pressures are known solutions. A major additional threat is predation from introduced predators such as cats (53%), mustelids and rats. The Kaikōura colony is highly susceptible to predation by feral, stray and pet cats. Responsible cat ownership, and the removal of feral cats from breeding habitat is critical in facilitating survival. Without predator control, the colony would be wiped out within two years.

Raising awareness to facilitate public compassion - advocacy is critical to highlight the plight of the species, which is often wrongly perceived as ‘common’ or a ‘pest’. Due to misinformation, red-billed gulls continue to be much maligned, leading to intentional human harm i.e. wildlife crime.