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10

Silver Gull

(Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)
Alternate name(s): "Red-legged Gull", "Red-billed Gull", "Crimson-billed Gull", "Jameson Gull", "Mackarel Gull", "Seagull"; misnomer: "Sea-pigeon"
Aboriginal name(s): Race "novaehollandiae": "manggiwarraywarraymal" [yuwaalaraay]; "djidjinook", "djiranger" (WA); "kalliwarra", "koonya", "tarooki"

Size: 38-42 cm; wing span 91-96 cm
Weight: 195-430 g (race "novaehollandiae"); 150-365 g (race "scopulinus")
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Silver Gull at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "novaehollandiae"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Silver Gull (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]

Frontal view of a Silver Gull
[Goran Lake, NSW, May 2012]

Frontal view of a preening Silver Gull
[Sydney, NSW, April 2006]

"Am I wearing the right shoes for tonight's fancy dress ball?"
[Myall Lakes NP, NSW, June 2009]

Near-lateral view of a Silver Gull (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]

Close-up lateral portrait of an adult Silver Gull
[Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Close-up lateral view of a Silver Gull (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, October 2012]

Lateral view of a Silver Gull
[Iluka Bluff, Bundjalung NP, NSW, May 2014]

Lateral view of a resting adult Silver Gull
[Myall Lakes NP, NSW, June 2009]

Lateral view of two Silver Gulls standing in shallow water
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2011]

Near-dorsal view of a Silver Gull
[Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a Silver Gull
[Iluka Bluff, Bundjalung NP, NSW, May 2014]

Dorsal view of a Silver Gull (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]

Dorsal view of three Silver Gulls
[Goran Lake, NSW, August 2011]

Silver Gull displaying its characteristic wing pattern during landing
[Near Walgett, NSW, April 2009]

Flock of Silver Gulls taking off
[Goran Lake, NSW, May 2012]

Direct size comparison between a Pacific Gull, right, and a Silver Gull, left (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Albany, WA, January 2015]

Frontal view of a Silver Gull in flight (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Flat Rock, Ballina, NSW, February 2019]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Silver Gull in flight
[Goran Lake, NSW, May 2012]

Near-lateral view of a Silver Gull in flight
[Goran Lake, NSW, April 2012]

Lateral view of a Silver Gull in flight looking at the photographer
[Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Lateral view of a Silver Gull in flight
[Iluka Bluff, Bundjalung NP, NSW, May 2014]

Lateral view of a Silver Gull in flight (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Port Douglas, QLD, May 2022]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Second-year immature Silver Gull in the last stages of moulting into adult plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]

Second-year immature Silver Gull on water
[Iluka Bluff, Bundjalung NP, NSW, May 2014]

Lateral view of a second-year immature Silver Gull (photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg)

Lateral view of a first-year immature Silver Gull that still has remnant brownish specks of its juvenile plumage on the wing coverts (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Close-up lateral view of a juvenile Silver Gull on a beach (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Albany, WA, January 2015]

Lateral view of a juvenile Silver Gull (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]

Lateral view of a juvenile Silver Gull
[Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Direct comparison of the plumages of an adult Silver Gull (left) with two juvenile birds (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Dec Eggs: 2 - 3 Incubation period: 22 - 26 days Fledging age: ca. 28 days

The breeding season listed in the table above applies to the southern part of the Australian continent. In the North they can breed any time of the year. Normally they nest in dense colonies, on isolated, sparsely vegetated islands, but they can occasionally be found closer to human activity as well.

Nest building: Female & male Incubation: Female & male Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Scrape Material: Dry plants Height above ground: N/A

Silver Gulls can also nest in dense low shrubs or in other settings, such as e.g. man-made structures in harbours.

Overview of Silver Gulls nesting on a rock ledge (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Overview of Silver Gulls nesting in coastal samphire (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Overview of Silver Gulls nesting on a crystallized salt structure (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Salt Lagoon, St. Kilda, SA, October 2022]

Two Silver Gull nests on a crystallized salt structure (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Salt Lagoon, St. Kilda, SA, October 2022]

Close-up view of a Silver Gull on its nest on crystallized salt (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Salt Lagoon, St. Kilda, SA, October 2022]

One of two Silver Gull chicks in a rudimentary nest (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Jetty of the Queenscliff ferry, Sorrento, VIC, September 2019]

One of two Silver Gull chicks in a rudimentary nest (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Jetty of the Queenscliff ferry, Sorrento, VIC, September 2019]

One of the adult Silver Gulls who were raising the brood (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Jetty of the Queenscliff ferry, Sorrento, VIC, September 2019]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 53 x 38 mm Colour: Brownish-grey, with brown to black speckles Shape: Tapered oval

Silver Gull nest on a rock ledge with two eggs in it (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive Elementary unit: Flock

Silver Gulls are the only species of gulls in Australia that will venture inland, away from the coast.

Often squabbles break out between Silver Gulls about who has stolen the food of others
[Goran Lake, NSW, May 2012]

This small mob of Silver Gulls used an unusual hunting technique, by rising out of water in which they could stand, to then dive on their prey from as little as 1 m high
[40 km S of Mungindi, NSW, January 2023]

Food, Diet

There is a separate page on how a Silver Gull rinses a fish before eating it.

Like all gulls, Silver Gulls are opportunistic. They will feed on anything from carrion and discarded entrails to fish, chicks of other bird species and eggs. They are often found around fish markets, fishermen and fishing boats, knowing there will be scraps to scavenge.

Two sub-adult Silver Gulls arguing about how will get first bite at an Estuary Cobbler (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Albany, WA, January 2015]

Silver Gull with something unidentifiable to eat
[Goran Lake, NSW, April 2012]

Because the competition also wants it, the safest thing to do is to carry it away
[Goran Lake, NSW, April 2012]

Immature Silver Gull with the leftovers of somebody else's meal
[Near Old Bar, NSW, June 2011]

Juvenile Silver Gull acquiring the art of scavenging food from humans (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Tweed River, Tweed Heads, NSW, December 2014]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

slvgull_20220130_3.m4a novaehollandiae
(NW NSW)
Contact call © MD
slvgull_20220130_2.m4a novaehollandiae
(NW NSW)
Contact calls Q&A
(mob in flight)
© MD
slvgull_20220912.mp3 novaehollandiae
(NW NSW)
Contact calls Q&A
(small mob in flight)
© MD
slvgull_me_20210927.m4a novaehollandiae
(TAS)
Contact calls
(+ New Holland Honeyeater)
© ME
slvgull_me_20210927_2.m4a novaehollandiae
(TAS)
Contact calls (+ Little Penguin) © ME
slvgull_20150327.m4a novaehollandiae
(NE NSW)
Begging calls (juvenile) + adult responding © MD
slvgull_20220130_6.m4a novaehollandiae
(NW NSW)
Various (in flight) © MD
slvgull_20220130_4.m4a novaehollandiae
(NW NSW)
Various (mob in flight) © MD
slvgull_20220130_5.m4a novaehollandiae
(NW NSW)
? © MD
slvgull_20220130.m4a novaehollandiae
(NW NSW)
? (mob in flight) © MD

More Silver Gull sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.