ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide - Laughing Gull

 Laughing Gull

laughing gulls
Photo by Richard Day/Daybreak Imagery		 Anyone who has visited the shorelines of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts know this gull, as it is often the dominant species there. Laughing gulls are much more scarce inland, and Ohio gets a dozen or so reports annually from the Lake Erie area. The common name is very fitting - laughing gulls do sound as if they are laughing. When many of them are together, the sound can't be missed, but as we typically only get one individual at any one time, their calls blend with the other gulls.


Listen

Laughing Gull
Larus atricilla

At-a-Glance

• Incubation: 20 days

• Clutch Size: 1-3 eggs

• Young Fledge: 35 days after hatching

• Typical Foods: insects, fish, shellfish and crabs
Description
In breeding plumage, this gull has a black hood and a dark gray back and wings. The wing tips are black. In the winter, it lacks the black hood. The bill is red and there are thin, white crescents above and below the eye.

Habitat and Habits
Laughing gulls can be seen on beaches, estuarine islands and salt marshes.

Reproduction and Care of the Young
Gulls nest in colonies. Laughing gull nests are made of sticks and grass and usually placed in dense marsh vegetation.