| Kelp gull | |
|---|---|
| Adult in Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Larus |
| Species: | L. dominicanus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823
| |
| |
%E2%80%93Kelp_gull_(Larus_dominicanus).jpg)
The kelp gull (Larus dominicanus), also known as the Dominican gull, is a gull that breeds on coasts and islands through much of the Southern Hemisphere. The nominate L. d. dominicanus is the subspecies found around South America, parts of Australia (where it overlaps with the Pacific gull), and New Zealand (where it is known as the black-backed gull, the southern black-backed gull, mollyhawk[2] – particularly the juveniles,[3] or by its Māori name karoro). L. d. vetula (known as the Cape gull) is a subspecies occurring around Southern Africa.
The specific name comes from the Dominican Order of friars, who wear black and white habits.[4]
- ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Larus dominicanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22694329A132542863. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22694329A132542863.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Southern black-backed gull | New Zealand Birds Online".
- ^ "Mollyhawk definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary".
- ^ "Shelly Farr Biswell", "Southern Black-Backed Gulls", New Zealand Geographic, number 73, May–June 2005