Audouin’s gull  (Larus audouinii)

Range

The only gull that is limited to the Mediterranean (2), Audouin’s gull breeds mainly in Spain, Algeria, Greece and Italy. It has less significant breeding colonies in France, Cyprus, Croatia, Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco. Flying south at the end of the breeding season, Audouin’s gull spends the winter on the coast of north and west Africa. Its population has risen from just 1,000 pairs in 1975 to over 19,000 pairs today, following an increase in discarded fish waste from the fishing industry, particularly at the Ebro delta in Spain (8).

View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Habitat

The majority of colonies base themselves on rocky cliffs and islands with medium vegetation cover to provide shelter for chicks, however, the Ebro delta colony inhabits salt marsh and sandy seashore. Unlike many other species of gull, Audouin’s gull is not pelagic, preferring to feed along the coastline (9).

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