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Information about Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Charadriiformes
Family:Laridae
Genus:Larus
Species:L. dominicanus
Binomial name
Larus dominicanus
(Lichtenstein, 1823, coast of Brazil)
The Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) breeds on coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. The race L. d. vetula occurs around southern Africa, and nominate L. d. dominicanus is the subspecies found around South America, parts of Australia (where it overlaps with Pacific Gull), and New Zealand (where it is known as the Southern Black-backed Gull or by its Māori name Karoro). The species specific part of the binomial name comes from the Dominican order of friars who wore black and white habits.[1] It is the southern equivalent of the northern hemisphere's Lesser Black-backed Gull and is similar in size to that species at 56cm with an 128cm wingspan. This is a mainly coastal gull. The nest is a shallow depression on the ground lined with vegetation and feathers. The female usually lays 2 or 3 eggs. Both parents feed the young birds.

The African subspecies L. d. vetula is sometimes split as Cape Gull, L. vetula. It has a more angular head and a smaller shorter bill. The adult has a dark eye, whereas the nominate Kelp Gull has a pale eye. Young Cape Gulls have almost identical plumage to similarly aged Kelp Gulls.

Description

The adult Kelp Gull has black upperparts and wings. The head, underparts, tail and the small "mirrors" at the wing tips are white. The bill is yellow with a red spot, and the legs are greenish. The call is a strident ki-och. Young birds have scaly black-brown upperparts, and a neat wing pattern. They take four years to reach maturity. Kelp Gulls are omnivores like most Larus gulls, and they will scavenge as well as seeking suitable small prey.

Gallery




Larus dominicanus, photograph taken at Con Con, Chile

Chicks peck at red spot on mothers beak to stimulate regurgitating reflex


References

1. ^ "Shelly Farr Biswell", "Southern Black-Backed Gulls", New Zealand Geographic, number 73, May-June 2005
  • BirdLife International (2004). Larus dominicanus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
  • Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey and Warwick Tarboton, SASOL Birds of Southern Africa (Struik 2002) ISBN 1-86872-721-1
  • Seabirds by Harrison, ISBN 0-7470-1410-8
conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation status of a species: not simply the number remaining, but the
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Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, nor Near Threatened, nor (prior to 2001) Conservation Dependent.
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Aves
Linnaeus, 1758

Orders

About two dozen - see section below

Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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Charadriiformes
Huxley, 1867

Families

Scolopacidae
Rostratulidae
Jacanidae
Thinocoridae
Pedionomidae
Laridae
Rhynchopidae
Sternidae
Alcidae
Stercorariidae
Glareolidae
Dromadidae
Turnicidae
Burhinidae
Chionididae
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Laridae
Vigors, 1825

Genera

Larus
Rissa
Pagophila
Rhodostethia
Xema
Creagus

Gulls are birds in the family Laridae.
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Larus
Linnaeus, 1758

Species

Many, see list

Larus is a large genus of seabirds to which most gulls belong. It has a world-wide distribution, and many of its species are abundant and well-known birds in their ranges.
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binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. The system is also called binominal nomenclature (particularly in zoological circles), binary nomenclature (particularly in botanical circles), or the binomial classification system.
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Martin Heinrich Carl Lichtenstein (January 10, 1780 - September 2, 1857) was a German physician, explorer and zoologist. He was the son of Anton August Heinrich Lichtenstein. He died after a duel fought at sea off Kiel.
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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1790s  1800s  1810s  - 1820s -  1830s  1840s  1850s
1820 1821 1822 - 1823 - 1824 1825 1826

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
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Motto
Ordem e Progresso   (Portuguese)
"Order and Progress"
Anthem
Hino Nacional Brasileiro
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Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30,221,532 km² (11,668,545 sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area, and 20.4% of the total land area.
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South America is a continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie
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Anthem
Advance Australia Fair [1]


Capital Canberra

Largest city Sydney
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L. pacificus

Binomial name
Larus pacificus
Latham, 1802

The Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus) is a very large gull, native to the coasts of Australia.
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Anthem
"God Defend New Zealand"
"God Save the Queen" 1


Capital Wellington

Largest city Auckland
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For the surname, see Fryer (surname).


A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.

Orders

There are two classes of orders known as friars, or mendicant orders: the four "great orders" (Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians, Carmelites) and
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L. fuscus

Binomial name
Larus fuscus
Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden

The Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) is a large gull which breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe.
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Laridae
Vigors, 1825

Genera

Larus
Rissa
Pagophila
Rhodostethia
Xema
Creagus

Gulls are birds in the family Laridae.
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IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List), created in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.
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IUCN

International Organization
Founded October 1948, Fontainebleau, France
Headquarters Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland

Key people Mr Valli Moosa
Ms Julia Marton-Lefèvre
Industry Natural resource conservation
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