Kelp gull
A Southern Hemisphere gull with black upper parts and white underparts.
The kelp gull (Larus dominicanus), also called the Dominican gull, is a seabird that nests along coasts and islands across much of the Southern Hemisphere. Its scientific name honors the Dominican Order of friars, whose black-and-white robes match the bird’s plumage. The main subspecies, L. d. dominicanus, lives around South America, parts of Australia (where it overlaps with the Pacific gull), and New Zealand—where it goes by names like the black-backed gull, southern black-backed gull, mollyhawk (especially for juveniles), or the Māori name karoro. Another subspecies, L. d. vetula (the Cape gull), is found around Southern Africa.
This gull looks a lot like the lesser black-backed gull and the great black-backed gull of the North Atlantic, and it’s about midway in size between them. Adults measure 54 to 65 cm long, with a wingspan of 128 to 142 cm, and weigh between 540 and 1,390 grams. On average, males weigh about 1,000 grams and females about 900 grams. Their wing chord ranges from 37.3 to 44.8 cm, the bill from 4.4 to 5.9 cm, and the tarsus from 5.3 to 7.5 cm. The upper parts and wings are black, while the head, underparts, tail, and small white “mirrors” at the wing tips are white. The bill is yellow with a red spot, and the legs are greenish-yellow—brighter and yellower during breeding, duller and greener otherwise. Their call is a sharp *ki-och*. Young birds have dull legs, a black bill, a dark tail band, and gray-brown feathers edged with whitish, but they quickly develop a pale bill base and mostly white head and underparts. It takes three or four years for them to reach full adult plumage.
There are five subspecies. The African one, L. d. vetula, is sometimes treated as a separate species, the Cape gull (Larus vetula). It has a more angular head and a smaller, shorter bill. Adults have dark eyes, while the nominate kelp gull usually has pale eyes. Young Cape gulls look almost identical to young kelp gulls of the same age.
The kelp gull is a rare visitor to the United States; the first record was in 1989 on the Chandeleur Islands in Louisiana. There, they have interbred with American herring gulls, producing hybrids that may later backcross with either parent species. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the breeding populations of both species and their hybrids were displaced from the island, though possible hybrids have turned up elsewhere, perhap
- Scientific name
- Larus dominicanus
- Length
- 54–65 cm
- Wingspan
- 128–142 cm
- Weight
- 540–1,390 g
- Subspecies
- 5 (including L. d. dominicanus and L. d. vetula)
- Known for
- Scavenging, predation on right whales and seal pups, and dropping shellfish to break them
Lore & Background
The kelp gull is an omnivore like most Larus gulls, scavenging on landfills and seeking small prey. Its population increase is considered an indicator of a degraded environment. Since at least 1996, kelp gulls in Argentinian waters have been observed feeding on living right whales, using their powerful beaks to peck into skin and blubber, leaving large open sores up to half a meter in diameter. Along the Southern African coast, kelp gulls pick up shellfish and drop them from several meters onto rocks to break them open. They have also been reported pecking the eyes out of seal pups on the Namibian coast before attacking the blind seals in a group.
Reader's Guide
The kelp gull is significant as a widespread Southern Hemisphere species that has adapted to human-altered environments, with population increases linked to landfill availability. Its predatory behaviors, particularly on right whales and seal pups, highlight its ecological impact. The species has also been a rare vagrant to the United States, with the first record in 1989 on the Chandeleur Islands in Louisiana, where it interbred with American herring gulls. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, breeding populations were displaced, though putative hybrids have been reported elsewhere. In 2025, a kelp gull was found on a warehouse roof in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and as of April 2026, it had apparently returned to the same site. The Cape gull subspecies (L. d. vetula) is sometimes split as a separate species, L. vetula, and its Southern African population is estimated at 11,000 breeding pairs and expanding.
Did You Know?
- The kelp gull is named after the Dominican Order of friars, who wear black and white habits.
- Kelp gulls have been observed feeding on living right whales since at least 1996, leaving sores up to half a meter in diameter.
- In 2025, a kelp gull was found living on the roof of a warehouse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and as of April 2026 had apparently returned to the same site.
- The Cape gull (L. d. vetula) is sometimes split as a separate species, Larus vetula.
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