Kelp Gull

Overview
Kelp Gull: Large, stocky gull with white head, underparts, tail. Black back and upperwing with white trailing edge and one distinctive white spot on outer primary tip. Bill is yellow with a red spot near tip; eyes are yellow-gray with red orbital rings; legs and feet are yellow-green.

Range and Habitat
Kelp Gull: Primarily southern hemisphere; has nested off Louisiana coast on the Chandeleur Islands. Accidental in Maryland.

INTERESTING FACTS
Recent populations of Kelp gulls have increased in some locations perhaps due to human subsidies: trawler fish discards, scraps from fish processing plants, and coastal rubbish piles. The species name comes from the Dominican order of friars who wore black and white habits. It is the only gull of the Southern Ocean. A group of gulls has many collective nouns, including a "flotilla", "gullery", "screech", "scavenging", and "squabble" of gulls.