The laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla ) is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. Named for its laugh-like call, it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger. It breeds in large colonies mostly along the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. The two subspecies are: L. a. megalopterus – which can be seen from southeast Canada down to Central America, and L. a. atricilla which appears from the West Indies to the Venezuelan islands. The laughing gull was long placed in the genus Larus until its present placement in Leucophaeus, which follows the American Ornithologists' Union.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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ScavengerScavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While sc...
An omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
A piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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SeabirdSeabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, b...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Soaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, b...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withThe Laughing gull is a medium-sized bird of North and South America named for its laugh-like call. The summer adult's body is white apart from the dark grey back and wings and black head. The beak is long and red. The black hood is mostly lost in winter. Immature birds are generally mottled brown and tan in color and it takes them three years to reach adult plumage.
Laughing gulls breed on the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Northernmost populations migrate farther south in winter, and these birds occur as a rare vagrant to western Europe. Laughing gulls are coastal birds; they can be found in salt marshes, estuaries, coastal bays, along beaches, or on agricultural fields near the coast.
Laughing gulls are gregarious birds that forage, rest, nest, and migrate in flocks. They are noisy and aggressive in nature and never hesitate to steal the prey of other birds. They feed by walking along the beach, by dabbling into the mud, by swimming, or by pecking their prey at the surface during the flight. Laughing gulls are active during the day, however, when the breeding season comes they may switch to nocturnal activity and forage at night as well. These birds communicate vocally and their call is loud, high-pitched "ha-ha-ha-ha-haah-haah-haah-haah-haa".
Laughing gulls are opportunistic carnivores and scavengers. They eat mainly fish, shellfish, crabs, mollusks, insects, bird eggs, and young birds. These birds also consume berries, garbage, refuse and carrion.
Laughing gulls are monogamous and form long-term pair bonds. They breed from early April and until July. Pairs nest in large colonies. They construct large nests on the ground, made from grasses and plant matter. Females lay 3-4 greenish eggs and incubate them for about three weeks. Chicks are precocial (fully-developed) and are able to leave the nest a few days after hatching. Both parents care for their young until they fledge which happens at around 35 days old. Laughing gulls usually become reproductively mature when they are two years old.
There are no major threats to Laughing gulls at present. However, these birds suffer from destruction of the coastal habitat that they are so dependant on, and from predation by Herring gulls which steal the eggs and nestlings.
According to the All About Birds resource, the total population size of the Laughing gull in North America is around 528,000-538,000 breeding birds. According to the What Bird resource, the total population size of the species is almost 1 million individuals. Overall, currently Laughing gulls are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today are increasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...