DISTRIBUTION, STATUS AND VARIATIONS OF THE SILVER GULL LARUS NOVAEHOLLANDIAE STEPHENS, WITH NOTES ON THE LARUS CIRROCEPHALUS SPECIES-GROUP

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 1 decade ago

Abstract
Data on distribution, seasonal dispersal, colour of unfeathered parts and plumage stages are given for the Silver Gull (Larus novaehollandiae). Geographic variation within the species is analysed. Three subspecies are recognized, L. n. novaehollandiae Stephens of Australia (including Tasmania), L. n. forsteri (Mathews) of New Caledonia, and L. n. scopulinus Forster of New Zealand. HartIaub's Gull (Larus hartlaubii Bruch) of south-western Africa is treated as a full species. The Larus cirrocephalus species-group comprises four species of grey-headed and white-headed gulls from the Southern Hemisphere, L. cirrocephalus VieiIIot, L. hartlaubii, L. novaehollandiae and L. bulleri Hutton.