Silver Gull: how to recognise it
A bird of Asia and Oceania. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © marlenekraml · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
- Family
- Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Size
- About 41 cm
- Habitat
- Coasts, estuaries, lakes and towns
- Found in
- Asia and Oceania
The key marks
Pale grey gull with a white head, bright red bill, red legs and eye-ring, and black wing tips with white spots. Black-headed Gull in winter has a dark ear spot, a dark-tipped bill and a white front edge on the wing.
Voice
A harsh, drawn-out 'kaarr' and many squawks.
Good to know
Very common around Australian coasts, and it has taken to towns, where it scavenges food scraps in car parks and parks.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Black-headed Gull. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in coasts, estuaries, lakes and towns. It is especially common in New Zealand and Australia. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.