Audouin’s Gull The Audouin’s Gull is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The global breeding population of the species is estimated at 21,300-22,300 breeding pairs (BirdLife International 2012c) with the most significant colonies occurring in Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, France, Cyprus, Croatia, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Algeria (Criado 1997; Gallo-Orsi 2003). The European population comprises more than 90% of the global population, while 67% breeds on the two largest colonies (Chafarinas islands and the Ebro delta in Spain). The global population trend is considered stable or increasing due to the increased availability of prey from discards thrown back to sea by fisheries (mainly trawlers and purse seiners) in the western Mediterranean, especially around the delta of Ebro river (Barov and Derhé 2011). The Greek breeding population is estimated at 350500 breeding pairs (2010). This represents a decline of at least 28% compared to the last estimate of 700-900 breeding pairs (1998-9) (Gatzelia 1999; Portolou and Papaconstantinou 1999; SaraviaMullin et al. 2012). In total, 28 different breeding areas have been identified in the Aegean and overall 70 islets have been used. Colonies are relatively small and sparsely-distributed (3-86 pairs). The most significant breeding colonies of the species in Greece are located in the Dodecanese, Cyclades, Northeast Aegean, Kythira and Crete. No breeding
Global distribution of the Audoui’s Gull (BirdLife International 2012b)
colony has been found yet in the Ionian Sea. The Audouin’s Gulls breeding in Greece mainly overwinter along the northern and western coast of Africa. The wintering distribution and migration movements of the species in Greece are largely unknown, although recoveries from ringed birds occur from Cyprus, Crete, Malta, Lebanon, Tunisia and Spain. Wetlands in the northern coast of Africa are considered important wintering grounds of the Greek population.
Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii)
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