Derivation
Lar-us - Gk, laros, seabird: dom-in-i-can'-us - N.L., Dominican (probably referring to the black and white color of the habits of Dominican Friars)
Common on parts of the eastern coast, and breeding in Western Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania.
Habitat
Coasts, usually with sight of land, but hardly ever more than about 10 km off-shore. Prefers the more protected parts of the coast: estuaries, bays, mudflats, off-shore islands, coastal wetlands.
Angola, Antarctica (B), Argentina, Australia (B), Barbados, Bouvet Island, Brazil, Chile (B), Ecuador, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), French Southern Territories, Gabon, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia (B), New Zealand (B), Peru, Senegal, South Africa (B), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Uruguay (B).
Vagrant to Mauritania, Seychelles, St Helena, Trinidad and Tobago.
Southern Africa, from Namibia (Cape Cross) to Cape Province (Algoa Bay), and southern Madagascar; southern Australia and New Zealand; northern Peru and southern Brazil (Sío Paulo) south to Tierra del Fuego, and Falkland Is; subantarctic islands and Antarctica.
Food
Fish and other marine life, procured from the surface of the sea, galley-refuse from ships, and eggs from other birds nests.
Voice
Hoarse laughing notes, mainly in display, of a loud, 'gor-ah, gor-ak' when relaxed, and a chattering 'uh, uh, ee-ah-ha-ha-ha' in alarm and defence. Wailing 'waaaah' in courtship. Choking 'wo-wo-wo' in aggression, fluted 'kle-oo, kle-oo' when begging.
Nest
A substantial structure of grass and plant-stems, on the ground, often in the shelter of a tussock of grass or rock ledge.
Eggs (Guide)
2 or 3; green-grey, heavily speckled and blotched with red-brown, dark brown and black; ellipsoidal; about 70 x 51 mm. Incubation: 28 days; by both sexes.
Young
Semi-precocial. Fledge in 5 - 6 weeks.
Subspecies
South Shetlands population formerly separated as austrinus, but matched by birds elsewhere in south of range.
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
dominicanus Lichtenstein, 1823 - Australia, New Zealand, subantarctic islands, Antarctica and South America.
vetula Bruch, 1853 - Coasts of southern Africa.
judithae Jiguet, 2002 - Subantarctic Indian Ocean islands.
melisandae Jiguet, 2002 - Coasts of south-western and southern Madagascar.
austrinus Fleming, JH, 1924 - Antarctica and Antarctic islands.
Similar Species
Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus), which has a heavier bill, with red on both mandibles, and a white tail with a subterminal black band.
References
See References.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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