Audouin's Gull

The Audouin's Gull is a large gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa. It breeds on small islands colonially or alone, laying 2-3 eggs on a ground nest. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus.

The Audouin's Gull is classified as Near Threatened (NT), is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.

The Audouin's Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii) is a large gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa. It breeds on small islands colonially or alone, laying 2-3 eggs on a ground nest. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus. In the late 1960s, this was one of the World's rarest gulls, with a population of only 1,000 pairs. More

The Audouin's Gull is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia. More

For the purposes of our bird news services, Audouin's Gull is classed as Mega: species which have not yet occurred in the British Isles or are exceedingly rare, or are otherwise highly desirable. More

Nevertheless Audouin's Gull shows a very nomadic breeding site selection and high dispersal rates from year to year, probably avoiding large densities of yellow-legged gulls20,21,22. Peregrines Falco peregrinus, other raptors, some herons and snakes can also prey on adults and nests but only accidentally and locally23,24. Very high levels of mercury and other pollutants are found in this species13, partly due to the consumption of discards 29, thus posing a potential threat, although no negative effects have been demonstrated. More

Audouin's gull is not rare in Spain but is highly localised in the Delta del Ebro (12,000 pairs) and the Islas Chafarinas (2,000 pairs) out of a total population of 17,000 pairs for the whole of Spain, around 90% of the world's population and is therefore very sensitive (Audouin's Gull is characterized by BirdLife International as a "protection-dependant" species). More

On the 14th of November, a 1st winter Audouin's Gull was observed by Barak Granit on the shoreline of Ma'ayan-Tzvi, Mediterranean coast. This species is an occasional visitor to the Med coast and Eilat. Though there are well over 30 records in Israel, none were seen since spring 2003 (Ashdod sewage pools and Eilat). Last seen on: 15/NOV/06 Audouins Gull Audouins Gull Audouins Gull Audouins Gull Striated Heron (Butorides striatus) Eilat, Apr. More

Audouin's gulls spend the summer nesting on isolated rocks and islands along the northern shore of the Mediterranean. In August they scurry back down to northern Africa. Sometimes they leave in dribs and drabs, but if there happens to be a northerly gale blowing at the right moment then they all go together. The nesting sites favoured by Audouin's gulls are also popular with other gulls, and particularly with the yellow-legged gull. More

The Audouin's Gull is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. More

Audouin's Gull (Larus audouinii) is the only gull occurring only in the Mediterranean. At a first glance, it looks like a common species of gull, Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans), having a white body and grey wings with black tips. However, it is a bit smaller (50 cm), its bill is red, its feet are dark and on air it is slimmer and more delicate. Like most seabirds, our knowledge for Audouin's Gull is focused around breeding period. More

Audouin's Gull (Larus audouinii) is a globally threatened species and is endemic to the Mediterranean sea. Its colonies are found mainly on islets or small uninhabited rocky islands near the coast. The discovery of Audouin's Gull in the Adriatic is very recent - 1997. The area of the South Dalmatian islets is little known to ornithologists with records on breeding populations almost non-existent. Over the past five years we have conducted the only surveys in the area. More

Audouin's Gull (Larus audouinii) by Jordi Calvet from Spain XC46082 :: Audouin's Gull (Larus audouinii) = Recording data Recordist Jordi Calvet Date 29-03-10 Time 14:10 Country Spain Location Platja de Migjorn, Delta de l'Ebre, Catalunya Longitude E0.51'14" Latitude N40. More

The Audouin's Gull (Larus audouinii) is a large gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa. It breeds on small islands colonially or alone, laying 2-3 eggs on a ground nest. More