Audouin's Gull
Scientific Name: Larus audouiniiMaltese Name: Gawwijja Munqarha Ahmar
Family: Gulls (Laridae)
Occurence: Regular
Breeds in Malta: No
Overview:
The Audouin's Gull is a medium-sized gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa. It breeds on small islands colonially or alone. In the late 1960s, this was one of the World's rarest gulls, with a population of only 1,000 pairs. It has established new colonies, but remains very localised with 70% of the population (now of about 20,000 pairs) residing in Ebro Delta, Spain. This species, unlike many large gulls, rarely scavenges, but is a specialist fish eater, and is therefore strictly coastal and pelagic. This bird will feed at night, often well out to sea, but also slowly patrols close into beaches, occasionally dangling its legs to increase drag. The adult basically resembles a small Yellow-legged Gull, the most noticeable differences being the short stubby red bill and "string of pearls" white wing primary tips, rather than the large "mirrors" of some other species. The legs are grey-green. This bird is named after the French naturalist Jean Victoire Audouin.
Status:
Regular summer/autumn visitor. Used to be a very rare bird in the past, with only 19 records till 1999, but has now become a regular visitor in summer, as after the breeding season, many 1st year birds are recorded. This increase in sightings in the Maltese Islands is tied to the overall increase of the Audouin's Gull in the mediterranean.
When to See:
Mostly seen in August and September.
Where to See:
Mostly seen from the coast; Qawra and Ghallis are good spots to see this species. Sometimes they are seen from Ghadira Nature Reserve.
Photographs:
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Adult and Juvenile Audouin's Gulls, 29th August 2010, Ghadira Nature Reserve |
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Adult Audouin's Gull, 29th August 2010, Qawra |
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Juvenile Audouin's Gull, 29th August 2010, Ghadira Nature Reserve |
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