Silver gull

It has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus, as is the case with many gulls, but is now placed in the genus Chroicocephalus. Hartlaub's gull (C. hartlaubii) of South Africa was formerly sometimes considered to be subspecies of the silver gull. There are three subspecies: • C. n. forsteri (Mathews, 1912) – north and northeast Australia, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands • C. n. novaehollandiae (Stephens, 1826) – southern Australia and Tasmania • C. n. scopulinus (Forster, JR, 1844) or red-billed gull – New Zealand ==Description==

Adult The head, body, and tail of an adult silver gull are white, and the wings are light grey with white-spotted, black tips. Adults range from in length. Adults have bright red beaks which gets brighter during breeding or when they get older. ==Distribution and habitat==

Silver gulls are found in all states of Australia, as well as New Zealand and New Caledonia. ==Behaviour==

The silver gull has a sharp voice consisting of a variety of calls. The most common call is a harsh, high pitched 'kwarwh'. Feeding The silver gull naturally feeds on worms, fish, insects and crustaceans. It is a successful scavenger, allowing increased numbers near human settlements. It is known to pester humans for chips and steal unattended food. Breeding Breeding occurs from August to December, typically in large colonies on offshore islands. The nest is located on the ground and consists of seaweed, roots, and plant stems. The nests may be found in low shrubs, rocks and jetties. Typical clutch size is one to three eggs. Often two broods are raised in a year, and both adults share nest-building, incubation and feeding. ==Gallery==

File:Silver gull scream.webm|A silver gull performs its distinctive screaming call. File:Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae scopulinus.jpg |Foraging by oscillating its foot in sand at low tide to uncover prey File:Silver gull-03.JPG|Egg and nestlings in nest at Phillip Island Nature Park, Victoria File:Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.125.20.jpg|Eggs - MHNT File:Silver Gull in flight.jpg|Immature in flight File:Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae - Silver Gull - Bathing.jpg|Bathing File:Silver Gull flight.ogv|In flight, near Gold Coast, Australia File:Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae - Green Island.jpg|Mature adult on the pier of Green Island east of Cairns File:Silver Gull JCB.jpg|On Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia ==References==