Audouin's Gull

The Audouin's Gull is a striking seabird. Its pristine white head and underparts contrast beautifully with its pale grey back and wings. Its most distinctive feature is the long, coral-red bill, often tipped with black and yellow. The dark eyes are surrounded by a red orbital ring.

Adults display a similar appearance year-round, with slightly duller colours in winter. Juveniles have brown mottling on their backs and wings, gradually acquiring adult plumage over three years.

A long, low to medium-pitched nasally braying call, is used by both sexes with a ‘ga – ga – ga’ alarm call.

Audouin’s gulls’ breeding areas are mainly confined to the east coast of mainland Spain, the Balearics, other Mediterranean and Aegean islands, southern Turkey and Morocco’s north coast.

They may also occasionally venture into the Atlantic and breed on the Canary Islands. They normally migrate to North West Africa’s Saharan coast but will also over winter in the Aegean and Turkey.

Due to its propensity for fresh fish, the Audouin’s gull does not venture inland and limits its territory to the open sea and coastal waters, choosing to roost in coastal marshes, rocky coves and sandy beaches.

The juvenile is more difficult to identify than the adult, particularly during its first year when it is not dissimilar to the European Herring Gull.

However, identification of the adult is easy due to its stubby tri-coloured bill, grey-green legs and black outer primary flight feathers tipped in white.

Whilst many gulls are scavengers, the Audouin’s gull tends not to be and is predominantly a fish eater, in fact its species Greek name, Ichthyaetus, translates as ‘fish eagle’.

Audouin’s Gulls prefer a diet of herrings, sardines and anchovies, which it frequently hunts and catches at night by swooping down and taking from just below the water’s surface.

They will also forage on land and have been observed taking small mammals and lizards as well as raiding olive groves.

The breeding season is from March to August, during which time a simple nest is constructed in a hollow amongst rocks or vegetation, often located on small islands. Pairs will nest alone or, more commonly, in large colonies.

One clutch of 2-3 dark-spotted, cream-coloured eggs, is laid annually and incubated for up to twenty-eight days. Fledging takes place some eight weeks later.

Audouin's Gulls are graceful flyers, often seen gliding low over coastal waters in search of prey. Compared to other gulls, they are less aggressive and more specialised in their feeding habits.

These birds are generally quiet and prefer roosting in remote, flat areas near the shore.

Ringed birds have been recorded as attaining the age of twenty one years.

Once critically endangered, Audouin's Gull has seen a remarkable recovery thanks to conservation efforts but is still listed as Vulnerable.

Protection of breeding sites, particularly in Spain's Ebro Delta, has been crucial. However, the species still faces threats from habitat loss, overfishing, and climate change.

The adult male Audouin’s gull is predominantly white overall, with a very pale grey mantle and upper wing. The outermost primary flight feathers are coloured black, as are small areas of the primary coverts extending almost to the alula.

The tips of the black primary feathers are spotted white. The bird has a long white face and sloping forehead with a prominent dark crimson hooked bill, which is tipped with a dark yellow.

Immediately behind this yellow colouring is a black band which circles both the upper and lower mandible. The eye is very dark, almost black and surrounded by a deep red thin orbital ring. The legs are a greyish-green shade.

The adult female is similar to the male. Juveniles have a much darker grey-brown body with black brown upper wings and a black tail tinged white at its base across the uppertail coverts. The head and face is grey and the bill is black.

It takes three years until the juvenile resembles the fully grown adult with colour and patternation morphing occurring annually.