Silver Gull
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
Small gray gull with red legs. Adult has red bill (younger birds have a darker bill), white head and body, pale gray "silver" wings, which have prominent black and white tips. Abundant across much of New Zealand and coastal Australia, including inland areas around waterways and rivers.
Identification
The head, body, and tail of an adult silver gull are white, and the wings are light grey with white-spotted, black tips. Adults range from 40–45cm (15-17 Inches) in length. Their wingspan ranges from 271 to 314mm (10-12 Inches). Adults have bright red beaks which gets brighter during breeding or when they get older.<p>Juveniles have brown patterns on their wings, and a dark beak.
Taxonomy
It has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus, as is the case with many gulls, but is now placed in the genus Chroicocephalus. Hartlaub's gull (C. hartlaubii) of South Africa was formerly sometimes considered to be subspecies of the silver gull.[citation needed]<p>There are three subspecies:
- Scientific name
- Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
- Authority
- (Stephens, 1826)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Chroicocephalus
Range and habitat
Silver gulls are found in all states of Australia, as well as New Zealand 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.<p>Silver gulls have twice been recorded in the United States; one bird was shot in August 1947 at the mouth of the Genesee River, Lake Ontario, and another was photographed in Salem County, New Jersey, in autumn 1996. Both are believed to have escaped from captivity.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The silver gull has a sharp voice consisting of a variety of calls. The most common call is a harsh, high pitched 'kwarwh'.<p>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.<p>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.
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sooty Owl
Tyto tenebricosa
Medium-sized dark-gray owl with prominent facial disc and white speckles through the plumage. This handsome species inhabits rainforest, wet eucalypt forest, and surrounding habitats. Its pale feet seem too large for its body. The northern subspecies is smaller and paler. Main calls include a high-pitched "falling-bomb" whistle and insect-like squeaks and trills.
Damara Red-billed Hornbill
Tockus damarensis
Fairly small, slim, long-tailed hornbill. Note the red bill, dark eye, pale face, and heavily spotted back. White patches on the wing and outer tail are conspicuous in flight. Found in arid savanna, often in lusher woodland along dry riverbeds. Call is a series of clucks that starts with single notes, then becomes louder and more emphatic, with doubled notes. Has a small area of overlap with the very similar Southern Red-billed Hornbill in northern Namibia. Separated by the unstreaked white face and dark eye, though beware of hybrids. Somewhat like Monteiro’s Hornbill, but smaller and slimmer-billed, with bolder white spotting on the back.
Sulu Hornbill
Anthracoceros montani
A large bird of lowland and montane forest on the Sulu Islands, although probably only remaining on Tawi-Tawi. Feeds particularly on fig trees. One of the rarest birds in the world. Entirely black except for a white tail. Has a long, thick black bill, a black casque, and black bare skin around the eye. Male has pale eyes and female has brown eyes and a smaller casque. Unmistakable. The only hornbill in its range. Voice is a nasal cackling.
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