other names
Red-billed Gull, Red-legged Cull or Seagull

click here to see a Silver Gull Chick

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DESCRIPTION

Adults: Sexes are similar, but male has slightly stouter bill. 400 to 450mm in length. Plumage is white with grey back, shoulders and under flight feathers. Outer primaries are black with white tips. Eye is white with red eye ring. Bill, lets and feet are brilliant scarlet to purple-red.

Juvenile: As above mottled brown on shoulders and back. Bill, legs and feet are dusky to buff-brown.

Voice: Common all is drawn-out, harsh "kwarr". Young have peevish squeal, often accompanied by submissive behaviour towards adults.

The Silver Gull is a nomadic bird can be found on all Australian coasts, but also over much of the inland wherever there are large water courses such as dams, lakes, rivers and urban parks. There are four or five races, with the main one covering the Australian mainland and another in Tasmania. It can also be found in New Zealand. The seagull is a very adaptable bird which can live pretty much anywhere, including rubbish tips where it will scavenge for food. The diet varies locally and includes plankton, small fish, crustaceans, insects such as crickets, larvae and worms. Each group of gulls establish a hierarchy of dominance, older birds prevailing over younger birds. Younger birds are often driven away from feeding grounds by the aggressive behaviour of adults. Each night the groups flies from the feeding ground to sleep on bare ground including flat islands and urban parks. The seagull breeds in various months around Australia. In southern Australia the main season begins in July and in NSW breeding starts around September, continuing until around January. In the southern parts of Western Australian the seagull breeds twice a year, Spring and Autumn. The male establishes the breeding territory and is later joined by a female. The nest is a shallow cup of fine plant matter on bare ground or hidden in shrubs or dead trees. Two to four eggs are normally laid and incubation is around 21 to 27 days by both parents. Young leave nest site after about four weeks and totally independent by six weeks of age. Sexual maturity is reached at around two years of age, but usually closer to three years.