
Silver Gull
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusChroicocephalus (Masked Gulls and allies)
- SpeciesChroicocephalus novaehollandiae (Silver Gull)
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
About the Silver Gull
The silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) is a gull in Oceania. It is the most common gull of Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas. It is smaller than the Pacific gull (Larus pacificus), which also lives in Australia.
The silver gull should not be confused with the herring gull, which is called "silver gull" in many other languages (scientific name Larus argentatus, German Silbermöwe, French Goéland argenté, Dutch zilvermeeuw), but is a much larger, robust gull with no overlap in range.
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: The head, body, and tail of an adult silver gull are white, and the wings are... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Silver Gull in Sydney
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 9 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 15 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 16 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 18 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 19 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Werribee Open Range Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 4 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 5 | Cairns Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Sobela Ocean Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | African Safari World | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Closest Relatives at Sydney
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Silver Gull in Sydney?
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Silver Gull sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 11,973 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Silver Gull in Sydney?
June–August and November–April
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Silver Gull in Sydney on a given day, against about 40% in May and September–October, the lowest months.
What time of day is best to see a Silver Gull?
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silver Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Sydney the best place to see a Silver Gull?
3rd of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Silver Gull sightings, Sydney ranks 3rd at about 50%. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, about 60%) and Melbourne (Australia, about 50%).
Where does the Silver Gull sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silver Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Sydney (11,973 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
