The silver gull (''Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae'') is the most common

gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, ...

of Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas. It is smaller than the Pacific gull (''Larus pacificus''), which also lives in Australia. The silver gull should not be confused with the herring gull, which is called "silver gull" in many other languages ( scientific name ''Larus argentatus'',

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

''Silbermöwe'',

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

''Goéland argenté'', Dutch ''zilvermeeuw''), but is a much larger, robust gull with no overlap in range.

Taxonomy

It has traditionally been placed in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

'' Larus'', as is the case with many gulls, but is now placed in the genus '' Chroicocephalus''. Hartlaub's gull (''C. hartlaubii'') of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

was formerly sometimes considered to be subspecies of the silver gull. There are three subspecies: * ''C. n. forsteri'' ( Mathews, 1912) – north and northeast Australia, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands * ''C. n. novaehollandiae'' (

Stephens Stephens is a surname. It is a patronymic and is recorded in England from 1086. Notable people with the surname include: *Alexander H. Stephens (1812–1883), Vice President of the Confederate States of America *Alison Stephens (1970–2010), Brit ...

, 1826) – southern Australia and Tasmania * ''C. n. scopulinus'' ( Forster, JR, 1844) or red-billed gull – New Zealand

Description

The head, body, and tail are white. The wings are light grey with white-spotted, black tips. Adults range from 40–45 cm (15-17 Inches) in length. Mean wingspan is 94 cm (37 Inches) . Juveniles have brown patterns on their wings, and a dark beak. Adults have bright red beaks—the brighter the red, the older the bird.

Distribution and habitat

Silver gulls are found in all states of Australia, as well as

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

and New Caledonia. It is a common species, having adapted well to urban environments and thriving around shopping centres and garbage dumps. Their successful adaption to urban habitats have seen their population increase in areas of human activity, with the availability of nesting grounds the only limiting factor on population growth. Silver gulls have twice been recorded in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

; one bird was shot in August 1947 at the mouth of the

Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides ...

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

, and another was photographed in

Salem County, New Jersey Salem County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its western boundary is formed by the Delaware River and its eastern terminus is the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which connects the county with New Castle, Delaware. Its cou ...

, in autumn 1996. Both are believed to have escaped from captivity.*

American Ornithologists' Union The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...

(2000): Forty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. '' Auk'' 117(3): 847–858. DOI: 10.1642/0004-8038(2000)117 847:FSSTTA.0.CO;2.

Behaviour

The silver gull has a sharp voice consisting of a variety of calls. The most common call is a harsh, high pitched 'kwarwh'.

Feeding

The silver gull naturally feeds on worms, fish, insects and crustaceans. It is a successful scavenger, allowing increased numbers near human settlements. It is known to pester humans for scraps and steal unattended food.

Breeding

Breeding occurs from August to December, typically in large colonies on offshore islands. The nest is located on the ground and consists of seaweed, roots, and plant stems. The nests may be found in low shrubs, rocks and jetties. Typical clutch size is one to three eggs. Often two broods are raised in a year, and both adults share nest-building, incubation and feeding.

Various views and plumages

File:Seagull at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.jpg, Seagull at

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a national park on the northern side of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The park is north of the Sydney central business district and generally comprises the land east of the M1 Pacific Motorway, s ...

, Sydney File:Silver Gull in flight.jpg, Immature in flight File:Silver gull at Sydney.jpg, At Circular Quay railway station, Sydney File:Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae - Silver Gull - Bathing.jpg, Bathing File:Silver Gull flight.ogv, In flight, near Gold Coast, Australia File:Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae - Green Island.jpg, Mature adult on the pier of Green Island east of Cairns File:Silver Gull JCB.jpg, On Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia