Falkland Islands 'Big Gull', 'Kelp Gull'. Length: 56 - 60 cm ( 22 - 24 inches). A resident breeder, widely distributed near all Falklands coasts. Scavenges on sheep carcasses and other birds eggs and young but also takes crustaceans and marine life from beaches. It is found around low coasts with off-shore kelp beds and is often around settlements. It is known to go 16 km (10 miles) off-shore. They nest on sandy and stony beaches or nearby grassland or heathland close to a beach.

Kelp gulls are protected in the Falkland Islands.

These gulls are circumpolar, the race L. d. dominicus occurs in southern South America from southern Brazil to Tierra del Fuego, the Falklands, South Georgia and related sub-Antarctic islands as far as the Antarctic Peninsular.

Sources include: Falkland Islands State of the Environment Report 2008 Otley H, Munro G, Clausen A, Ingham B. A Field Guide to the Wildlife of The Falkland Islands and South Georgia - Ian J Strange, Guide to Birds of the Falkland Islands- Robin W. Woods.

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