Difference between revisions of "Laughing Gull" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 17:03, 13 February 2024

Photo © by Michael Woodruff
Brownsville Sanitary Landfill, South Texas, USA, April 2004

Leucophaeus atricilla

Larus atricilla

Identification

Length 39-46 cm (15½-18 in)
Wingspan 102-120 cm
Weight 240-400 g
One of two North American dark-backed hooded gulls.
Field marks include dark almost slate colored back, extensive black wingtip with very small white primary tips (often worn off by summer), large dark red bill, narrow eye-arcs, and extensive hood in breeding plumage.
Nonbreeding has limited remnants of hood and blacker bill.
Juveniles have totally black primary tips and tail band, gray neck, and black bill.

Similar species

Nonbreeding plumage
Photo © by bobsofpa
Fort DeSoto Park, Florida, USA, September 2008

Bonaparte's Gull is smaller with much lighter gray back, smaller black bill (in all plumages), and with almost no white on primary tips.
Black-headed Gull is slightly smaller and shorter-winged with much lighter gray back, less extensive hood, smaller bill, and with a white forewing blaze and little black on the primary tips.
Franklin's Gull is a slightly smaller dark-backed hooded gull with larger white primary tips (even in juvenile plumage), much less extensive black in wingtips when flying, broader eye-arcs, and smaller thinner bill. Juvenile Franklin's have whitish neck (instead of gray).

Distribution

A partial migrant. It is a year-round resident on the eastern and southern coastline of the United States from Delaware to the southern tip of Texas, throughout the Caribbean, the east coast of Mexico and Central America, and locally on the west coast of Mexico and the north coast of South America.
Additionally a breeding summer visitor north to Nova Scotia in Canada, and winters on both coasts of South America south to northern Chile and the Amazon mouth in Brazil.
Rare away from east coast and south coast of the U.S. but with records in almost every state.

Vagrant to Europe with records nearly annually in the UK.

Taxonomy

It was formerly placed it in the genus Larus. The species name atricilla ('black-tailed') shows that Linnaeus's type specimen was a first-year bird.

Subspecies

This is a polytypic species consisting of two subspecies^[1]:

L. a. megalopterus:

South-eastern California to western Mexico; Maine to Central America; winters to Peru

L. a. atricilla:

West Indies to Trinidad; winters to northern Brazil

Juvenile
Photo © by bobsofpa
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware, USA, August 2008
First Summer
Photo © by bobsofpa
Flamingo, Everglades National Park, Florida, USA, April 2008
Second Summer
Photo © by bobsofpa
Fort Island Trail Beach, Crystal River, Florida, USA, August 2007

Habitat

Breeds on coastal islands, saltmarshes and sand-dunes.

Behavior

Often gathers in large flocks in beachfront areas on lawns, park areas, parking lots, etc.

Diet

Omnivorous - diet includes fish, insects, carrion, mollusks, eggs, worms, young birds, etc. Collects food by foraging on beaches and shallows; does not usually submerge in search of food like some other seabirds.
They are scavengers as well as hunting small prey, and readily take human-supplied food such as fish waste, bread and french fries. Many have learnt to steal food (kleptoparasitism) from Brown Pelicans and other seabirds.

Breeding

A large nest is built of grass and placed on the ground. 3-4 greenish eggs are laid and incubated for about 21 days.

Vocalisation

A laugh-like ha, ha, ha, ha. Also a yelp similar to Common's kee-agh

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Laughing Gull. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 8 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Laughing_Gull

External Links

Search for photos of Laughing Gull in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-;Larus atricilla
+[[Image:Laughing_Gull.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|Michael+W|Michael Woodruff}}<br /> Brownsville Sanitary Landfill, South [[Texas]], [[USA]], April 2004]]
-[[Image:Laughing_Gull.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by Michael Woodruff<br/>Location: Brownsville Sanitary Landfill in South Texas, USA]]
+;[[:Category:Leucophaeus|Leucophaeus]] atricilla
+''Larus atricilla''
-[[Image:Laughing_Gull_nonbreeding.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by bobsofpa<br/>Nonbreeding plumage photographed at: Fort DeSoto Park, FL, USA]]
 ==Identification==
-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...".
+Length 39-46 cm (15½-18 in)<br/>
+Wingspan 102-120 cm<br />
+Weight 240-400 g<br />
+One of two North American dark-backed hooded gulls.<br />
+Field marks include dark almost slate colored back, extensive black wingtip with very small white primary tips (often worn off by summer), large dark red bill, narrow eye-arcs, and extensive hood in breeding plumage.<br />
+'''Nonbreeding''' has limited remnants of hood and blacker bill.<br />
+'''Juveniles''' have totally black primary tips and tail band, gray neck, and black bill.
+====Similar species====
+[[Image:Laughing_Gull_nonbreeding.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Nonbreeding plumage<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|bobsofpa|bobsofpa}}<br />Fort DeSoto Park, [[Florida]], [[USA]], September 2008]]
+[[Bonaparte's Gull]] is smaller with much lighter gray back, smaller black bill (in all plumages), and with almost no white on primary tips. <br />
+[[Black-headed Gull]] is slightly smaller and shorter-winged with much lighter gray back, less extensive hood, smaller bill, and with a white forewing blaze and little black on the primary tips.<br />
+[[Franklin's Gull]] is a slightly smaller dark-backed hooded gull with larger white primary tips (even in juvenile plumage), much less extensive black in wingtips when flying, broader eye-arcs, and smaller thinner bill. Juvenile Franklin's have whitish neck (instead of gray).
-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.
+==Distribution==
+A partial migrant. It is a year-round resident on the eastern and southern coastline of the [[United States]] from [[Delaware]] to the southern tip of [[Texas]], throughout the [[Caribbean]], the east coast of [[Mexico]] and [[Central America]], and locally on the west coast of Mexico and the north coast of [[South America]]. <br /> Additionally a breeding summer visitor north to [[Nova Scotia]] in [[Canada]], and winters on both coasts of South America south to northern [[Chile]] and the Amazon mouth in [[Brazil]].<br />
+Rare away from east coast and south coast of the U.S. but with records in almost every state. <br />
-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.
+Vagrant to [[Europe]] with records nearly annually in the [[UK]].
+==Taxonomy==
+It was formerly placed it in the genus [[:Category:Larus|Larus]]. The species name ''atricilla'' ('black-tailed') shows that Linnaeus's [[Dictionary_T-Z#T|type specimen]] was a first-year bird.
+====Subspecies====
+This is a [[Dictionary_P-S#P|polytypic]] species consisting of two subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
+*''L. a. megalopterus'':
+:*South-eastern [[California]] to western [[Mexico]]; [[Maine]] to Central America; winters to [[Peru]]
+*''L. a. atricilla'':
+:*[[West Indies]] to [[Trinidad]]; winters to northern [[Brazil]]
-Laughing Gulls breed in coastal marshes and ponds 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.
+<gallery>
+Image:608-08898fg Immature Laughing Gull.jpg|<br />Juvenile <br />Photo &copy; by {{user|bobsofpa|bobsofpa}}<br />[[Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge]], Delaware, [[USA]], August 2008
+Image:608-03708fg First Summer Laughing Gull.jpg|<br />First Summer <br />Photo &copy; by {{user|bobsofpa|bobsofpa}}<br />Flamingo, [[Everglades National Park]], [[Florida]], [[USA]], April 2008
+Image:607-13901fg Second Summer Laughing Gull.jpg|Second Summer <br />Photo &copy; by {{user|bobsofpa|bobsofpa}}<br />Fort Island Trail Beach, Crystal River, [[Florida]], [[USA]], August 2007
+</gallery>
-==Distribution==
-Breeds on the east coast of North America from Florida north to Nova Scotia, disperses from breeding areas July-August and begins to move south in mid-August. Winters from North Carolina southwards, returning north in mid-March to mid-May.
-Vagrant to many Western Palearctic countries including Iceland and the British Isles, France, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, Poland, Germany and Austria, Greece, Iberia, Morocco, the Canaries and Azores. The majority occur in Britain (c.96 records), recorded in all months and scattered throughout the country, lacking the strong south-westerly bias seen with most Nearctic vagrants. Records include many long-staying, wandering and returning individuals and one German record involved a bird displaying in a Black-headed Gull colony.
-==Taxonomy==
 ==Habitat==
-Breeds on low, flat coastal islands, saltmarshes and sand-dunes. Out of the breeding season mainly coastal on sandy beaches and estuaries, sometimes inland and follows the plough. Also follows ships and sometimes seen far out to sea.
+Breeds on coastal islands, saltmarshes and sand-dunes.
-==Behaviour==
+==Behavior==
+Often gathers in large flocks in beachfront areas on lawns, park areas, parking lots, etc.
+====Diet====
+Omnivorous - diet includes fish, insects, carrion, mollusks, eggs, worms, young birds, etc.  Collects food by foraging on beaches and shallows; does not usually submerge in search of food like some other seabirds. <br/>
+They are scavengers as well as hunting small prey, and readily take human-supplied food such as fish waste, bread and french fries. Many have learnt to steal food ([[Dictionary_G-L#K|kleptoparasitism]]) from [[Brown Pelican]]s and other seabirds.
+====Breeding====
+A large nest is built of grass and placed on the ground.  3-4 greenish eggs are laid and incubated for about 21 days.
+====Vocalisation====
+A laugh-like ''ha, ha, ha, ha''. Also a yelp similar to  [[Common Gull|Common's]] ''kee-agh''
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug18}}#Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
+#Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
+{{ref}}
 ==External Links==
-{{GSearch|Larus+atricilla}}
+{{GSearch| "Leucophaeus atricilla" {{!}} "Laughing Gull" {{!}} "Larus atricilla" }}
-[[Category:Birds]]
+{{GS-checked}}1
+<br />
+<br />
+[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Leucophaeus]]