Description
& Characteristics:
The
Kelp or Dominican gull lives on the Antarctic Peninsula and
at most sub-Antarctic islands, where it is resident year-round,
generally in small numbers. They are also broadly distributed
throughout southern Africa, Australasia and South America.
A subspecies of the Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus vetula)
is
found along the southern African coastline. It is now considered
sufficiently different from the principal race to be regarded
as a separate species.
Kelp gulls
have a white head, neck, underbody, rump and tail. The saddle
and upperwing is slate-black with a white leading edge. The
yellow bill has a rounded red spot at the tip.
Kelp gulls
are opportunistic feeders, preying on and scavenging mollusks,
fish, crustaceans, other seabirds, and even their own chicks
and eggs. They will consume scraps scavenged from Giant
Petrel kills, and will frequently raid penguin
colonies. They are also known to feed on terrestrial invertebrates
such as: earthworms, moth larvae and intertidal shellfish
such as limpets.
These
gulls nest on beaches, among rocks, grassy headlands, ledges,
glacial moraines and offshore islets depending upon the location
and suitability for feeding and breeding. Like most southern
seabirds, Kelp gulls breed in the summer months; November
to December in the subantarctic. They will produce up to three
(though usually only two) mottled eggs in an open nest lined
with grass,
seaweed, sticks, shells or various debris.
Eggs generally hatch in 23 to 30 days. Fledging occurs in
45 to 60 days, although chicks are still fed by their parents
until after they can fly. Most Kelp gulls ultimately return
to colonies where they were born.
No conservation
problems are known to exist for this species at the present
time. In fact, recent populations of Kelp gulls have increased
in some locations perhaps due to human subsidies: trawler
fish discards, scraps from fish processing plants, and coastal
rubbish piles.
