Animal Species:Silver Gull
The Silver Gull has become a successful scavenger, readily pestering humans for handouts of scraps, pilfering from unattended food containers or searching for human refuse at tips.
Silver Gull in flight
S Humphreys
© Australian Museum
Identification
The Silver Gull has a white head, tail and underparts, with a light grey back and black-tipped wings. In adult birds the bill, legs and eye-ring are bright orange-red.
Size range
40 cm to 45 cm
Similar Species
Pacific Gull, Kelp Gull
Distribution
The Silver Gull is common throughout Australia and is also found in New Zealand and New Caledonia.
Habitat
The Silver Gull is found at virtually any watered habitat and is rarely seen far from land. Birds flock in high numbers around fishing boats as these leave or return to the coast, but seldom venture far out to sea.
Feeding and Diet
As with many other gull species, the Silver Gull has become a successful scavenger, readily pestering humans for handouts of scraps, pilfering from unattended food containers or searching for human refuse at tips. Other food includes worms, fish, insects and crustaceans.
Communication
The most common call is a harsh 'kwee-aarr'.
Mating and reproduction
Silver Gulls nest in large colonies on offshore islands. Often two broods will be raised in a year, and both adults share nest-building, incubation and feeding duties. Eggs are laid in a shallow nest scrape, lined with vegetation.
- Breeding Season: At any time, usually August to November
- Clutch size: 3
Conservation Status
With greater access to a wide range of dietary items, the Silver Gull has been able to increase its population in areas of human activity. Available nesting grounds appear to be the only limiting factor to population increases.
Classification
- Species:
- novaehollandiae
- Genus:
- Larus
- Family:
- Laridae
- Order:
- Charadriiformes
- Class:
- Aves
- Subphylum:
- Vertebrata
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
References
- Pringle, J.D. 1987. The Shorebirds of Australia. Angus and Robertson and the National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife, Sydney.
Ondine Evans
, Web Researcher/Editor
Last Updated:
Tags silver gull, birds, seabirds, biby,
Hi Melinda, no, you're not dreaming. Silver Gulls (Larus novaehollandiae) do indeed have differently coloured eye rings depending on their age and breeding status. Young birds in their first immature plumage that are not yet breeding have a dark eye ring and iris, making their eyes look quite large and uniformly dark. Birds in the first immature plumage that are breeding have a black eye ring and a lighter iris than non-breeders, making the eye ring stand out more. Birds in their second immature plumage, regardless of breeding status, have an eye ring that can vary from black to orange-red or dark red . Adult birds, also regardless of breeding status, have a bright red eye ring. I hope this clears up the mystery for you! Cheers, Jaynia