1. (noun) seagull, southern black-backed gull, Larus dominicanus - a common large gull with a heavy bill. Body plumage entirely white except for wings and back which are black above. Bill is yellow, eyelid orange-red and iris white. Legs and feet are olive. Young bird in its first winter has a black bill, dark brown feet and is mottled below and barred above grey and brown (see illustration).

1. (noun) kākā of dark plumage.

1. (noun) kākā of light plumage.

1. (noun) large trough shell, Mactra discors - a triangular-shaped bivalve mollusc found near the low-water mark along sheltered sandy beaches. Heavy shell, with a straw-coloured to dark coating.

1. (noun) person accustomed to living by the sea.

1. (noun) kererū, New Zealand pigeon - a poetic reference.

1. (noun) bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica - a brown-and-white migratory wading bird with a long, slightly upturned, black bill and a pink base which breeds in the northern hemisphere and summers in the southern. An important source of food, Māori distinguished three varieties based on their plumage and age: 1. an older bird (kakao, hakakao, rakakao); 2. a red bird (kura) preparing to migrate; and 3. a whiter bird (karoro).

1. (noun) bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica - a brown-and-white migratory wading bird with a long, slightly upturned, black bill and a pink base which breeds in the northern hemisphere and summers in the southern. An important source of food, Māori distinguished three varieties based on their plumage and age: 1. an older bird (kakao, hakakao, rakakao); 2. a red bird (kura) preparing to migrate; and 3. a whiter bird (karoro).

(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 2; Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 34;)