Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusLarus (Large White-headed Gulls)
- SpeciesLarus dominicanus (Dominican Gull)
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 – particularly the juveniles, 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. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Dominican Gull sighting in Torres del Paine National Park, based on 44 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Torres del Paine National Park
Brown-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus maculipennis
South American Tern
Sterna hirundinacea
Southern Lapwing
Vanellus chilensis
Magellanic Oystercatcher
Haematopus leucopodus
Magellanic Snipe
Gallinago magellanica
Least Seedsnipe
Thinocorus rumicivorus
Wilson's Phalarope
Phalaropus tricolor
Baird's Sandpiper
Calidris bairdii
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Hudsonian Godwit
Limosa haemastica
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Gray-breasted Seedsnipe
Thinocorus orbignyianus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Dominican Gull in Torres del Paine National Park?
About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Dominican Gull sighting in Torres del Paine National Park, based on 44 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Dominican Gull in Torres del Paine National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Dominican Gull in Torres del Paine National Park in our monthly data.