Nando Island is reported as one of the biggest breeding colonies of seabirds in South Korea, and is protected as a Natural Monument. This study was conducted between July to November 2015, to investigate the breeding population of Black-tailed gulls and their habitat on Nando Island. We estimated the breeding population of Black-tailed gulls (Larus crassirostris) using nest density. The mean nest density of Black-tailed gulls was 0.51 per 1 m2 (0.51 m-2), and the breeding population was approximately 26,760 individuals. The dominant vegetation was Echinochloa crusgalli and Agropyron tsukushiense var. transiens, which served as shelter and nest sites to Black-tailed gulls. The diet of Black-tailed gulls was mainly the fish, Japanese Anchovy Engraulis japonicas (48%). Other species which were found to breed on Nando Island were Streaked Sheawater (Calonectris leucomelas), Temminck’s Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capillatus), and Swinhoe’s storm petrels (Oceanodroma monorhis).

Sea gulls are high trophic level consumers in the coastal environment, and thus, which have been widely used to monitor contamination biomagnified through a food web. However, such monitoring studies using sea gulls have been rare in the Korean literature. The National Environmental Specimen Bank chose eggs of a black-tailed gulls (Larus crassirostris) to serve as an environmental specimen for the long-term monitoring of the coastal ecosystem affected by terrestrial pollutants. Black-tailed gull eggs were collected from Baengnyeongdo, Hongdo and Uleungdo, and their DDTs and total mercury content were determined. The highest concentration of ΣDDTs was 231.6±106.1 μg/kg wet in Baengnyeongdo, followed by 230.0±123.8 μg/kg wet in Ulleungdo, and 117.7±18.3 μg/kg wet in Hongdo. In addition, total mercury was detected at 414.5±97.6 μg/kg wet in Ulleungdo, 363.9±123.6 μg/kg wet in Hongdo, and 237.5±42.3 μg/kg wet in Baengnyeongdo. Relatively high concentrations of the target pollutants were recorded in specimens from Ulleungdo. Additional comprehensive and prolonged studies are required to elucidate spatial and temporal patterns of contamination in black-tailed gull eggs with regard to monitoring contaminant trends in eggs and prey.