Seagulls on Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Every winter, I see a few Black-tailed gulls (Larus crassirostris) on our shorelines. They generally do not stay for longer than two weeks. In January 2016,  I photographed eight Black-tailed gulls on Nagahama beach. Four gulls had oil residue stuck on their feathers. The birds were constantly bathing in the sea water and preening. The Black-tailed gulls are abundant on the mainland, but on Okinawa they are a rare sight.

Juvenile Black-tailed gull

Possible reasons why there are no seagulls living on Okinawa.  

  • Warm water temperatures – too warm ( 68F- 88F)
  • Not enough food (fish, worms, mollusks)
  • Competition with other birds ( osprey, terns and crows )
  • Small land mass

A mature Black-tailed gull bathing and preening. It was working hard trying to get the oil residue off its feathers.

Black-tailed gull bathing

Black-tailed gull drying off

Shaking off

Shaking off

Black-tailed gull preening

Black-tailed gull preening

Black-tailed gull

Black-tailed gull

Black-tailed gull

Mature gulls feeding on fish scraps

Black-tailed gull feeding

Black-tailed gull feeding

Have a great day !