Bird name:

Laughing Gull

Larus atricilla

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Code 4

LAGU

Code 6

LARATR

ITIS

176837

Breeding Location:

Marshes, saltwater, Beaches, coastal

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Olive to buff with brown markings

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with grass and weeds.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Laughing Gull: Medium-sized gull with gray back and white underparts. Head has black hood, neck is white, and bill is red. Wings are gray and white-edged except at tips; tail is white. Legs and feet are black. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has a gray-streaked cap and dark bill with red tip. Juvenile has brown upperparts and head, dark bill and legs, and thick black tail band. Juvenile has brown upperparts and head, black bill, and white tail with broad black terminal band. 1st winter resembles juvenile but begins to show gray on back and white on face; 1st summer resembles breeding adult but has gray wash on neck and sides, black and white mottled hood, and black bill; 2nd winter resembles winter adult but has grayer underparts and dark partial terminal band on tail.

Range and Habitat

Laughing Gull: Lives mainly on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S., ranging from Maine down through Florida and Texas. Spends winters regularly north to Virginia, in smaller numbers farther north. Found in salt marshes, lagoons, and coastal beaches.

Breeding and Nesting

Laughing Gull: Three olive to buff eggs marked with brown are laid in a ground nest lined with grass and weed stems, and built on sand or in a salt marsh. Eggs are incubated for 20 days by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Laughing Gull: Feeds on fish, crabs, snails, insects, eggs, and chicks.

Vocalization

Laughing Gull: Call is loud, high-pitched "ha, ha, ha, ha."

Similar Species

Laughing Gull: Franklin's Gull is smaller, shorter-billed, rounder-headed, and has shorter wings; breeding adults have darker primary tips, paler primary undersides, and a white bar between gray upperwing and black primaries.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Terminal band

Refers to the contrasting stripe at the tip of the tail.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America