Laughing Gull

The Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, is a medium-sized gull native to the Americas. Its name is derived from its distinctive call, reminiscent of human laughter. This gull exhibits a striking seasonal plumage variation, with a summer adult displaying a white body, dark grey back, wings, and a black head. The wings are notably darker than those of similar-sized gulls, save for the smaller Franklin's Gull, and feature black tips without the white crescent of the latter. The beak is a robust red, and the black hood is largely lost in the winter months.

Identification Tips

Adult Laughing Gulls in summer plumage are easily identified by their black heads and red beaks. In winter, they lose the black hood, making the head white with smudgy grey spots. Juveniles and immature birds are generally darker than other gulls of similar size, with first-year birds being greyer below and having paler heads than Franklin's Gulls. Second-year birds can be distinguished by their wing pattern and structure.

Habitat

These gulls breed in coastal marshes and ponds, often forming large colonies. They construct substantial nests predominantly from grasses on the ground.

Distribution

The Laughing Gull breeds along the Atlantic coast of North America, throughout the Caribbean, and in northern South America. The northernmost populations are migratory, moving southward in winter, and the species occasionally appears as a rare vagrant in western Europe.

Behaviour

Laughing Gulls are opportunistic omnivores and scavengers, known for their adaptability and resourcefulness in foraging.

Song & Calls

The species is named for its raucous "kee-agh" call, which is akin to a high-pitched, laugh-like "ha… ha… ha…".

Breeding

Breeding occurs in large colonies. The nest is sizeable and made largely from grasses. The three or four greenish eggs are incubated for approximately three weeks.

Similar Species

The Laughing Gull is similar in size to the Franklin's Gull but can be differentiated by its darker wings and the lack of a white crescent on the wingtips.

Diet and Feeding

As an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger, the Laughing Gull has a varied diet and demonstrates flexible feeding behavior.

Conservation Status

The Laughing Gull is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, indicating that it is not at immediate risk of population decline or habitat loss at a global scale.

Subspecies

There are two recognized subspecies of the Laughing Gull:

• L. a. megalopterus, found from southeast Canada to Central America
• L. a. atricilla, ranging from the West Indies to the Venezuelan islands

The Laughing Gull was previously placed in the genus Larus but has since been reclassified to Leucophaeus, following the taxonomy of the American Ornithologists' Union.