Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) is in the Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers family (Laridae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 76,824 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in August.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: year-round resident. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph Laughing Gull: observations by month (U.S.)

About Laughing Gull

The laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. The genus name Leucophaeus is from Ancient Greek leukos, "white", and phaios, "dusky". The specific atricilla is from Latin ater, "black", and cilla, "tail". Linnaeus appears to have misread his note atricapilla (black-haired), which would have been much more appropriate for this black-headed, but white-tailed, bird.From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Laughing Gull by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related birds (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)

Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis

Western GullLarus occidentalis

American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus

Royal TernThalasseus maximus

Forster's TernSterna forsteri

California GullLarus californicus

Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia

Heermann's GullLarus heermanni

Photography tips

• Use a fast shutter (1/2000 s or faster) for birds in flight.
• Focus on the eye and shoot at the bird's eye level.
• Approach slowly and stop if the bird changes behavior; never bait or flush birds.
• Morning activity peaks in the first two hours after sunrise.

FAQ