152Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds

152 Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds

Photograph of an adult Kelp Gull on a rock

Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds 153

Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)

TABLE Species information for the Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)

The Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) is a familiar small gull of Australian coasts and inland areas. Adults are readily identified by the bright red bill and legs and distinctive pattern of the underwing. This species can be found at both coastal and inland locations in a variety of habitats including artificial habitats such as rubbish dumps. It has a very varied, opportunistic diet including fish, marine and terrestrial invertebrates, seeds, insects and bird eggs. Kleptoparasitism has been observed. It breeds on small islands and points, mainly offshore, but also on freshwater and brackish lakes, and on causeways in salt-pans. The breeding season covers all months, with the exact timing varying depending on locality and age. It is colonial and occasionally solitary, with smaller colonies in the tropics (3-25 pairs) up to 10,000 pairs in southern Australia (del Hoyo et al. 1996; Carlile et al. 2017). Colony size depends on food availability. Individuals may wander widely outside the breeding season (del Hoyo et al. 1996).

The species is thought to be abundant across its range. Presently increasing in south east Tasmania based on winter surveys 1980–2019 (E. Woehler pers. comm). The overall population trend is increasing, although some subpopulations have unknown trends (Delany and Scott 2006).

Frequently observed at garbage facilities feeding on human waste. At present there are no factors thought to pose a genuine threat to this species. It is possible that, in the future, the effects of climate change could have an adverse impact on food sources and breeding habitat (Woehler et al. 2014). Human disturbance at colonies and interactions with aquaculture has local effects.