LARUS DOMINICANUS - (LICHTENSTEIN, 1823)
Classe : Aves > Ordre : Charadriiformes > Famille : Laridae > Genre : Larus
Le Goéland dominicain (Larus dominicanus (Lichtenstein, 1823)) est une espèce d'oiseau de mer qui habite les îles et les côtes de l'hémisphère sud.
Description
C'est l'équivalent austral du Goéland brun (Larus fuscus) de l'hémisphère nord et lui est semblable au point de vue taille. Cette espèce fait 56 cm de long en moyenne et a une envergure de 128 cm.
Habitat et comportement
Il est principalement un oiseau côtier. Son nid est une dépression peu profonde dans la terre avec de la végétation et des plumes. La femelle pond normalement 2 ou 3 œufs. Les deux parents alimentent les jeunes poussins.
Taxinomie
D'après Alan P. Peterson, cette espèce est constituée des cinq sous-espèces suivantes :
Larus dominicanus austrinus (J.H. Fleming 1924)
Larus dominicanus dominicanus (Lichtenstein 1823)
Larus dominicanus judithae (Jiguet 2002)
Larus dominicanus melisandae (Jiguet 2002)
Larus dominicanus vetula (Bruch 1853)
Le Goéland dominicain (Larus dominicanus (Lichtenstein, 1823)) est une espèce d'oiseau de mer qui habite les îles et les côtes de l'hémisphère sud.
Description
C'est l'équivalent austral du Goéland brun (Larus fuscus) de l'hémisphère nord et lui est semblable au point de vue taille. Cette espèce fait 56 cm de long en moyenne et a une envergure de 128 cm.
Habitat et comportement
Il est principalement un oiseau côtier. Son nid est une dépression peu profonde dans la terre avec de la végétation et des plumes. La femelle pond normalement 2 ou 3 œufs. Les deux parents alimentent les jeunes poussins.
Taxinomie
D'après Alan P. Peterson, cette espèce est constituée des cinq sous-espèces suivantes :
Larus dominicanus austrinus (J.H. Fleming 1924)
Larus dominicanus dominicanus (Lichtenstein 1823)
Larus dominicanus judithae (Jiguet 2002)
Larus dominicanus melisandae (Jiguet 2002)
Larus dominicanus vetula (Bruch 1853)
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The Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus (Lichtenstein, 1823)), also known as the Dominican Gull, breeds on coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. The race Larus dominicanus vetula occurs around southern Africa, and nominate Larus dominicanus 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 Maori name Karoro). The specific name comes from the Dominican order of friars who wore black and white habits. It is the southern equivalent of the northern hemisphere's Lesser Black-backed Gull, but averages slightly larger than that species at 54–65 cm in total length and 128–142 cm in 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.
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-yellow (brighter and yellower when breeding, duller and greener when not breeding). The call is a strident ki-och. Juveniles have dull legs, a black bill, a dark band in the tail, and an overall grey-brown plumage densely edged whitish, but they rapidly get a pale base to the bill and largely white head and underparts. They take three or four years to reach maturity. The African subspecies L. d. vetula is sometimes split as the 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 usually has a pale eye. Young Cape Gulls have almost identical plumage to similarly aged Kelp Gulls.
Behaviour
Kelp Gulls are omnivores like most Larus gulls, and they will scavenge as well as seeking suitable small prey. It gathers on landfills and a sharp increase in its population is therefore considered as an indicator for a degraded environment. Kelp Gulls have been observed feeding on live right whales since at least 1996. The Kelp Gull uses its powerful beak to peck down centimetres into the skin and blubber, often leaving the whales with large open sores, some of which have been observed to be half a meter in diameter. This predatory behavior has been continually documented in Argentinian waters, and continues today.
The Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus (Lichtenstein, 1823)), also known as the Dominican Gull, breeds on coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. The race Larus dominicanus vetula occurs around southern Africa, and nominate Larus dominicanus 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 Maori name Karoro). The specific name comes from the Dominican order of friars who wore black and white habits. It is the southern equivalent of the northern hemisphere's Lesser Black-backed Gull, but averages slightly larger than that species at 54–65 cm in total length and 128–142 cm in 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.
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-yellow (brighter and yellower when breeding, duller and greener when not breeding). The call is a strident ki-och. Juveniles have dull legs, a black bill, a dark band in the tail, and an overall grey-brown plumage densely edged whitish, but they rapidly get a pale base to the bill and largely white head and underparts. They take three or four years to reach maturity. The African subspecies L. d. vetula is sometimes split as the 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 usually has a pale eye. Young Cape Gulls have almost identical plumage to similarly aged Kelp Gulls.
Behaviour
Kelp Gulls are omnivores like most Larus gulls, and they will scavenge as well as seeking suitable small prey. It gathers on landfills and a sharp increase in its population is therefore considered as an indicator for a degraded environment. Kelp Gulls have been observed feeding on live right whales since at least 1996. The Kelp Gull uses its powerful beak to peck down centimetres into the skin and blubber, often leaving the whales with large open sores, some of which have been observed to be half a meter in diameter. This predatory behavior has been continually documented in Argentinian waters, and continues today.