A new future for the Audouin’s Gull?

The Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii) is an amazing migratory species but it is also listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Since 2010, its population has steadily declined mainly due to the reduced food availability and growing threats from mammalian predators.

The newly adopted International Single Species Action Plan (SAP) for the conservation of the Audouin’s Gull offers a roadmap to recovery. The plan is one of the key tools used to coordinate conservation measures across countries.

A plan for the future

The first SAP for the Audouin’s Gull was published back in 1993. While its implementation was reviewed several times, it was never formally updated until now. After years of collaboration and scientific input, the new plan was officially adopted in 2025, marking the way for a decade of renewed actions for the species’ recovery.

The preparation of this SAP was coordinated by our Portuguese Partner SPEA (Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves), with the support of BirdLife International and contributions from scientists and experts across several countries.
Collecting data from 15 nations, the new plan gathers the most up-to-date knowledge about the species, its distribution, and the pressures it faces, setting concrete conservation priorities.

“The plan encompasses all the countries where the Audouin’s Gull breeds or winters. Bringing these countries together to cooperate and make joint commitments to protecting the species is a landmark achievement”, says Nuno Oliveira, Senior Marine Conservation Officer at SPEA.

Finding new habitats

Traditionally, Audouin’s Gulls choose remote coastal islands or wetlands for nesting: quiet, undisturbed places with easy access to food. But as some of their historic breeding and feeding sites have disappeared or have been abandoned, the species has shown a surprising ability to adapt to new habitats.

Today, some gulls are nesting in ports and urban areas, places they once avoided. These environments can offer refuge and plenty of food, but they also come with new risks like conflict with human activities and pollution. Protecting traditional breeding sites and the emerging new habitats will be key to the species’ survival.

The challenges ahead

13 main threats to the Audouin’s Gull have been identified in the updated plan. Already known pressures like changes in fishing practices and food availability, human disturbance, habitat loss, and pollution have a huge effect on the population.  

But also emerging threats need to be taken into account to be able to protect the Audouin’s Gull in a changing environment. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), climate change, colonisation of degraded or urbanised areas, and the development of offshore wind farms, all add further pressure to the species. All of these combined threats create a tough future for the Audouin’s Gull.

The new SAP aims to stabilise and expand Audouin’s Gull populations by 2035, which can only be done by protecting vital habitats, reducing human impact, and strengthening international cooperation.  But the plan is also a tool to better understand why regional declines continue and to ensure that conservation efforts are effective and long-lasting.  

The plan offers a chance to support the goals of the EU Birds Directive and to ensure that European funding and policy focus on the most urgent conservation needs to protect the gull’s future across its entire range.

Photo: Shutterstock