adult; black mantle; snowy white below (South Africa; 2007-06-30)


Kelp Gull
Larus dominicanus

Native Range: Africa, South Amerca, Australia

Notes: the Southern-Hemisphere counterpat of the Notherrn Hemisphere's Great Black-backed Gull; a very large and strikingly pattened gull with a black mantle and snowy-white underparts; found on rocky shores as well as sandy beaches along open coastlines; no sexual dimorphism.

red dot near tip of lower mandible; pale legs (South Africa; 2007-06-30)
frontal view; striking black-and-white contrast (South Africa; 2007-06-30)

large size and rather lumbering flight (South Africa; 2007-06-30)
white tail and head; black upperparts (South Africa; 2007-06-30)

expressing exuberance (South Africa; 2007-06-30)
juvenile; much browner overall; large dark bill (South Africa; 2007-06-30)

juvenile; grayish legs; black eye (South Africa; 2007-06-30)
adult posing for a portrait (South Africa; 2007-06-30)