Laughing Gull
Larus atricilla
Seagulls
Mississippi Gulf Coast

The Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla, is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. It breeds on the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, southern California, USA, and northern South America. Northernmost populations migrate further south in winter, and this species occurs as a rare vagrant to western Europe, although there was a large influx into North-west Europe in late October 2005 when there was a minimum of 18 (and anywhere up to a possibly maximum of 35) individuals on one day in the UK alone. The Laughing Gull's English name is derived from its raucous kee-agh call, which sounds like a high pitched laugh "ha... ha... ha...".

This species is easy to identify. It is 36-41 cm long with a 98-110 cm wingspan. The summer adult's body is white apart from the dark grey back and wings and black head. Its wings are much darker grey than all other gulls of similar size except the smaller Franklin's Gull, and they have black tips without the white crescent shown by Franklin's. The bill is long and red. The black hood is mostly lost in winter.

Laughing Gulls take three years to reach adult plumage. Immature birds are always darker than most similar sized gulls other than Franklin's. First year birds are greyer below and have paler heads than first year Franklin's, and second years can be distinguished on the wing pattern and structure.

Laughing Gulls breed in coastal marshes and ponds as far north in large colonies. The large nest, made largely from grasses, is constructed on the ground. The 3 or 4 greenish eggs are incubated for about three weeks. These are omnivores like most Larus gulls, and they will scavenge as well as seeking suitable small prey.

Distribution

Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Australia [vag]
Austria [vag]
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Brazil
Canada
Cayman Islands
Chile [vag]
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Denmark [vag]
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
France [vag]
French Guiana
Gambia [vag]
Gibraltar [vag]
Greece [vag]
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Iceland [vag]
Ireland [vag]
Jamaica
Kiribati [vag]
Martinique
Mexico
Montserrat
Morocco [vag]
Namibia [vag]
Netherlands [vag]
Netherlands Antilles
Nicaragua
Panama
Peru
Pitcairn [vag]
Portugal [vag]
Puerto Rico
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa [vag]
Senegal [vag]
Spain [vag]
Suriname
Sweden [vag]
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands
United Kingdom [vag]
United States
United States Minor Outlying Islands [vag]
Venezuela
Virgin Islands, British
Virgin Islands, U.S.