FIELD GUIDE
NO.
016
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
FAMILY: Laridae
ORDER: Charadriiformes
CLASS: Aves
AT A GLANCE
SIZE
15.3-18.1 inches (39-46 cm) long
STATUS
Native to the Americas. IUCN Least Concern.
HABITAT
Beaches, salt marshes, coastal bays, estuaries, and islands.
TRAITS
Laugh-like calls, changing plumage and a long slightly drooping bill. They are social feeders
DIET
Small fish, crabs, insects, earthworms, snails, berries, and sometimes other birds’ eggs and chicks. A fascinating behavioral trait known as kleptoparasitism.
LIFE SPAN
Variable. The oldest recorded Laughing Gull was at least 22 years old
WHAT TO NOTICE
– Notice the bill. Long and slightly drooping toward the tip, it is dark in immature birds and bright red in breeding adults.
– Look around the eyes. White crescents interrupt the dark hood of breeding adults and remain visible on younger birds.
– Watch the wings. Adults have gray upperwings with extensive black tips and relatively little white. Their long wings support strong, graceful flight, and they can catch insects in the air.
– Listen for the laughter. Their loud, nasal calls can develop into a repeated laughing series, especially conspicuous during the breeding season.
HOW IT LIVES:
Laughing Gulls gather around dependable food sources, feeding along shorelines, following fishing activity, and searching beaches and shallow water. They feed while walking, swimming, or flying, and sometimes steal a catch from a tern or pelican.
They nest in colonies that may contain thousands of pairs. Ground nests are often sheltered by low vegetation, with island sites offering some protection from land predators. Both parents help build the nest and care for the young.
Crowded colonies require communication. Calls, lowered heads, extended necks, and exaggerated movements help birds defend their space. Turning the head away can signal submission.
Their chicks remain vulnerable to predators, including mink, larger gulls, owls, and harriers.
THE INTERESTING PART
A Laughing Gull changes its appearance with both age and season.
Juveniles begin with dusky brown plumage and pale-edged wing feathers that create a scalloped pattern. As they mature, brown gives way to gray and white. Reaching full adult plumage takes roughly two to three years.
Even adulthood brings a changing wardrobe. Breeding adults wear a black hood and reddish bill. Outside the breeding season, the head becomes mostly white with gray markings, and the bill darkens.
A brown youngster, a white-headed winter bird, and a black-hooded breeding adult can look remarkably different while belonging to the same species.
WHERE I FOUND IT:
A visit to Dauphin Island surprised me when I discovered The Alabama Coastal Birding Trail, The Audubon Bird Sanctuary and the Mississippi Flyway, an important migration corridor for birds. Ninety minutes and a long lens introduced me to close up views of Laughing Gulls of all ages, accompanied by a spectrum of birds I had never met before. The pairs in their mating lipstick were highly entertaining. We exchanged glances and we made plans to visit again in April or May.
WORDS TO KNOW:
Laridae – The bird family that includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. “Seagull” is an informal name, rather than the name of a single species.
Plumage – A bird’s feathers collectively, including their colors and patterns.
Molt – The shedding and replacement of feathers.
Vane – The broad surface on either side of a feather’s central shaft, formed by interlocking branches called barbs.
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