Kelp Gull
Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus )
The Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus ) is one of the larger gull species with a body length of up to 58 inches and a wingspan of 125 cm. On head, neck, underparts and tail she wears a white plumage, the upper wings and back are against black. The beak is yellow with a red spot on lower mandible. The coloring of the feet ranges from yellow to olive green. In the area of the southern oceans the Kelp Gull is the only major gull species, which has a white head and white tail. From a distance, it can be mixed only with the Blutschnabelmöwe, but which is significantly smaller and has a bright red beak.
Dissemination
The distribution of Kelp extends from the coast of South America to South Africa, New Zealand and many sub-Antarctic islands in the Southern Ocean belt. The Kelp Gull is also the only gull species that breeds on the Antarctic Peninsula. In November or December, the gull lays two or three speckled eggs in a nest made of plant parts, bones and snail shells. The young hatch after an incubation period of four weeks and fledge after a further six to eight weeks.
Nutrition
Kelp gulls feed primarily on limpets and the waste of other bird colonies. They also eat the waste, which is found in human settlements. For food spectrum of kelp gulls also include fish, small mammals, birds up to size of a goose and sickly lambs. At sea kelp gulls follow occasionally boats to eat their waste. They also hunt Sterna species from the feed.
Before the Argentine Peninsula Valdés kelp gulls have started in the last 30 years to feed on the Südkapern. Initially, the gulls landed on the whales and pecked parasites and loose piece of skin on. Eventually, however, the kelp gulls began to peck healthy cuts of meat from the whales. Meanwhile, the gulls, have become for the whales, which raise their young in the region to a plague. The whales appear much more frequently than usual to get to safety before the gulls, and thus wasting a lot of energy; just the Walmütter would for the rearing of their calves need plenty of rest. In addition, the gulls concentrate on the Walmütter and their calves that need to come to the surface much more often than the other whales.
Reproduction
The propagation time of the kelp gulls usually falls in the period from September to January. It forms dense and occasionally very large colonies. Sometimes it is associated with the Blutschnabelmöwe. Also individually brooding kelp gulls are regularly observed.
The nest is built of dried plants and algae. It is commonly found at the base of a shrub or a boulder. The nest usually consists of two to three eggs. These are betrütet for a period of 24 to 30 days. The young birds fledge at an age of about seven weeks.