Kelp Gull. It is a species of Charadriiforme bird of the Laridae family that inhabits the coasts and islands of the Southern Hemisphere.
Summary
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- 1 Distribution
- 2 Description
- 3 Behavior
- 4 Food
- 5 Nido
- 6 Fountains
Distribution
It settles in coastal areas of the sea , lakes or rivers , throughout Patagonia up to Tierra del Fuego . It also reaches the Falkland Islands , South Atlantic Islands and Antarctica.
Description
It measures more than fifty centimeters and weighs almost a kilogram. Its adult plumage is white with a black mantle (when young it is brown); it has a long and strong yellow bill with a notable red spot; its webbed feet are yellow, as are the eyes, which are outlined by a red ring.
Behaviour
It prefers aquatic, marine or Andean places. It is sociable, forms numerous colonies. The female lays up to 4 eggs, which are usually incubated by the pair. It feeds on whatever it finds: vegetables , toads, molluscs , mice , etc. It makes a noise similar to a laugh.
Feeding
Opportunist, scavenger, it is a regular visitor to large dumps; eats the remains of fish and dead birds on the coasts and also captures eggs and chicks of coastal birds.
Nido
It nests in numerous colonies, one nest close to another, on the seacoast or on islands, but colonies have been seen in the center of the country. It uses plant materials that it places on the ground. It lays 3 or 4 olive-colored eggs with large black and gray spots. The chicks remain in the nest to be fed by the parents through regurgitations that they bring in their crops.