Kelp Gull

The Kelp Gull is the dominant large gull across much of the Southern Hemisphere's coastlines, found on the shores of South America, southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and even parts of the Antarctic Peninsula. Adults have a solidly black back and wings contrasting sharply with a pure white head, neck, and underparts, a pattern reminiscent of the Great Black-backed Gull in the Northern Hemisphere.

The bill is yellow with a red spot near the tip, and the legs are greenish-yellow to yellow. Immature birds pass through mottled brown plumages before reaching the striking adult pattern over about three to four years.

A small breeding population has become established on the Gulf Coast of the United States, notably in Louisiana, likely originating from birds that expanded their range northward, making this otherwise Southern Hemisphere species a very rare but notable presence in North America.

Key field marks

• Solid black back and wings contrasting with a white head and underparts
• Yellow bill with a red gonydeal spot
• Greenish-yellow to yellow legs
• Large, robust build

Similar species

• Great Black-backed Gull: very similar in pattern but with pink (not yellow-green) legs; ranges do not naturally overlap, though vagrancy makes careful leg-color checks important where both might occur.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull: smaller, with a slimmer build and yellow legs, but a paler, slate-gray (not jet black) back.

Habitat

Found on sandy and rocky coastlines, harbors, estuaries, and offshore islands across its range, and increasingly in urban coastal areas where it scavenges freely.

Range and migration

Widely distributed across the coasts of South America, southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and subantarctic islands, with a small established breeding population on the Gulf Coast of the United States, primarily Louisiana; most populations are largely resident with local dispersal.

Behavior

An adaptable and often dominant gull at seabird colonies, ports, and fish markets, Kelp Gulls are aggressive predators of the eggs and chicks of penguins and other seabirds in parts of their range.

Voice

Calls include deep, resonant "kyow" notes and long calls similar in structure to other large gulls of the genus Larus.

Feeding

A generalist feeder taking fish, mollusks, crustaceans, carrion, and the eggs and chicks of other seabirds, along with human refuse near ports and towns.

Nesting and breeding

Nests colonially on the ground on islands, beaches, and cliffs, building a scrape lined with vegetation. Clutches typically contain two to three eggs, incubated by both parents.