World's rarest seagulls thrive in demolished New Zealand office block

300 black-billed gulls nest among the concrete pillars of a building damaged in the Christchurch earthquake - but the colony is annoying some locals

When the world's rarest gull started nesting in the bowels of an earthquake-damaged building in central Christchurch, it was hailed as a sign of the city's rebirth after the 2011 disaster.

Some 300 black-billed gulls - a critically endangered species endemic to New Zealand - have been nesting in a half-demolished office block on Armagh Street in central Christchurch since November 2019, surprising conservationists and delighting local birders.