Silver Gull
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
Silver Gulls have specialized salt glands above their eye sockets that allow them to drink seawater and excrete the excess salt through their nostrils.
- Scientific name
- Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Laridae › Chroicocephalus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Coastal waters, estuaries, sandy beaches, city parks, and landfills.
- Diet
- Omnivorous scavenger; eats fish, marine invertebrates, insects, and human food scraps.
- Range
- Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia
- Size
- Length: 38-45 cm; Wingspan: 80-110 cm
- Lifespan
- Up to 20 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Entanglement in discarded fishing line, ingestion of plastics, and avian botulism.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but bold opportunists. Do not feed them, as it encourages aggressive begging and disrupts their natural diet. Maintain distance to avoid being swooped during nesting season. If pecked or scratched, wash the area with soap and water.
The silver gull ( Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae ) is the most common gull seen in Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas.
Photo: DiverDave, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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