Laughing GullLaughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)

Photo credits: Larry Master

Scientific Name Leucophaeus atricillaLinnaeus, 1758

Family Name LaridaeTerns, Gulls and Relatives

Did you know?Unlike other gull species, Laughing Gulls rarelysteal eggs and chicks of other birds (Burger 1996).

SummaryProtection Protected Bird in New York State, protected federally.

This level of state protection means: Defined as a Protected Bird by New York State law.This species may not be hunted or taken at any time in New York.

Rarity G5, S1

A global rarity rank of G5 means: Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quiterare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.A state rarity rank of S1 means: Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remainingindividuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology makes it especiallyvulnerable in New York State.

Conservation Status in New York

New York is near the northern limit of the Laughing Gull's breeding range, with breedingpopulations being restricted to beaches, dredge spoil islands, sandy non-barrier islands,and recently, salt marsh islands along the coast of southern Long Island (New York NaturalHeritage Program 2009). Much of the former breeding habitat has been lost due todevelopment and recreational activities along Long Island's beaches, resulting in theLaughing Gull and other beach-nesting species to nest on salt marsh islands (Burger 1996;McGowen and Corwin 2008).

NYNHP Conservation Guide - Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)

Short-term Trends

Since the inception of gull control measures at John F. Kennedy airport, over 63,000Laughing Gulls were killed or removed from areas near the airport runways between 1991and 2003, causing a 60 percent drop in the nesting population at Jamaica Bay (McGowenand Corwin 2008). Comparing the first and second breeding bird atlas for this species is achallenge since the birds were lumped into the general gull colony category instead ofcounted as a stand alone species. There are currently six active sites where LaughingGulls have been known to breed (New York Natural Heritage Program 2009). During thelast three years (2001, 2004, and 2007) of Colonial bird monitoring by the New YorkDepartment of Environmental Conservation only four pairs were observed during the 2007survey year (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 2007).

Long-term Trends

Up until 1900, Laughing gulls were regular breeders on Long Island. Their eggs becamevalued for collectors and the demand for their feathers for the millenary trade decimatedtheir populations and the bird was extirpated from New York by the start of the twentiethcentury (Buckley and Buckley 1978). Laughing Gulls continued to be spotted as a migrantbut in 1978, a nest was discovered and once again they began breeding on Long Island.Their numbers greatly exploded and by 1990, there were over 7500 pairs nesting on theisland marshes in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. The largest of the colonies nested near theend of a runway at John F. Kennedy Airport, which were a danger to aircraft, prompting thePort Authority to begin gull control measures (McGowen and Corwin 2008).This species is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The Migratory Bird TreatyAct implements various treaties and conventions between the U. S. and Canada, Japan,Mexico and the former Soviet Union for the protection of migratory birds. Under this Act,taking, killing, or possessing migratory birds, including nests or eggs, is unlawful unlessspecifically permitted by other regulations.

Conservation and ManagementThreats

Loss of suitable nesting and foraging habitat due to development, recreation, and erosion;competition with other gull species; and gull control activities as a result of minimizingcollision with aircraft, pose the greatest threats to Laughing Gulls (Burger 1996).

Conservation Strategies and Management Practices

Work with partners to develop a salt marsh restoration plan including the removal ofinvasive species such as Phragmites on nesting grounds. Monitor populations and improveon survey methods (Wasilco 2006).Work with the Port Authority to identify and implementless lethal ways of gull control around John F. Kennedy Airport (Burger 1996).

Research Needs

More research is needed regarding life span, mate fidelity, and reproductive success of theLaughing Gull. How long-term gull control programs affect this species is also needed(Burger 1996).

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HabitatLaughing Gulls are ground nesters and nest in a variety of coastal habitats including sandybeaches, dredge spoil islands, salt marshes, and vegetated and rocky islands (Burger 1996) withenough vegetation to protect nests from predators and high tides (Andrle and Carroll 1988). In NewYork, Laughing Gulls nest primarily on the vegetated saltmarsh nonbarrier islands of southern LongIsland.

Associated Ecological Communities

High Salt MarshA coastal marsh community that occurs in sheltered areas of the seacoast, in a zoneextending from mean high tide up to the limit of spring tides. It is periodically flooded byspring tides and flood tides. High salt marshes typically consist of a mosaic of patches thatare mostly dominated by a single graminoid species.

Low Salt MarshA coastal marsh community that occurs in sheltered areas of the seacoast, in a zoneextending from mean high tide down to mean sea level or to about 2 m (6 ft) below meanhigh tide. It is regularly flooded by semidiurnal tides. The mean tidal range of low saltmarshes on Long Island is about 80 cm, and they often form in basins with a depth of 1.6m or greater.

Associated Species

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)Ring-Billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)Great Black-Backed Gull (Larus marinus)

Identification CommentsIdentifying Characteristics

The Laughing Gull is a medium-sized bird 40-46 cm in length with a long wingspanaveraging 102 cm (Peterson 1980; National Geographic Society 1999). They are easilyidentified by their black head and grey back and wings that blend into their black primarywing feathers. The rest of their body parts are white, with some pink on the breast whenthe birds arrive at their breeding grounds, which gradually fades away. The bill is brownishwith a bright red-orange tip. Legs and feet are a deep red (Burger 1996). During theNonbreeding season, the black head of the adults changes from black to white with grayishstreaks, the white underparts take on gray undertones, the dark grey back and wingsbecome lighter (National Geographic Society 1999), and the color of the bill, legs, and feetbecome black (Burger 1996). Juveniles are generally brownish grey in color with thefeathers of the wings, outlined in white that resembles a scale-like pattern. The tail feathersare gray and are edged in white. Hatchlings are born covered in down that is light brown incolor with the underside a lighter brown. The down is mottled with brownish black spots.Eggs are smooth, oval in shape, have a mean length of 50 mm, and a mean weight of 40g. The color varies from pale cream to olive brown with dark splotches. Laughing Gulls neston the ground. The nests are composed of salt marsh vegetation such as reeds andgrasses. The average size is about 14 cm wide, 6 cm deep, and 28 cm high (Bent 1921,Burger 1996). Laughing Gulls have a variety of calls, with the most common ones being thelong call (sounding like kee-ahh, kee-ahhh), defense call (a series sounding like kakakaka),

NYNHP Conservation Guide - Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) 3

and alarm call (sounding like kuk-kuk-kuk). Head tosses often accompany these calls(Burger 1996).

Characteristics Most Useful for Identification

The black head and lack of a white band separating the black primaries from the rest of thegrey wings of the adult Laughing Gull in breeding plumage is the characteristic most usefulin identifying this species.

Best Life Stage for Identifying This Species

Laughing Gulls can be easily identified when the adults are in their breeding plumage.

Behavior

Laughing Gulls arrive at their breeding grounds a month before breeding, roughly mid-April.Pair bonds are formed just before arrival to the breeding colony. Territories are quicklyestablished soon after arriving and nest construction begins with both sexes workingtogether. The male typically gathers nest material while the female arranges it. Eggs arelaid down shortly after with three eggs making up a full clutch. Incubation begins when thesecond egg is laid down, with both male and female taking turns incubating them. Chicksstart to hatch around 23 days after the start of incubation. Hatching is asynchronous, withthe first two chicks being hours apart and the third chick hatching about a day later (Bent1921; Burger 1996). Laughing Gulls typically forage at low tide during the day, andsometimes forage during high tide at night (Bernhardt et al 2010). While foraging for flyinginsects, they exhibit a behavior called ?hawking?, meaning they take their prey on the wing(Sweet 1993).

Diet

Laughing Gulls feed on a variety of invertebrates including beetles, ants, flies, worms,spiders, and grasshoppers (Bernhardt et al 2010). On occasion, they will steal prey fromthe mouths of Brown Pelicans and eat the eggs of terns (Bent 1921).

The Best Time to See

In New York, Laughing Gulls begin to arrive at their breeding grounds in late March to earlyApril and remain throughout the breeding season. Dispersal from breeding grounds beginsin late summer. They begin their fall migration to their wintering grounds in October (Burger1996). Nonbreeding Laughing Gulls have been spotted inland throughout the year near theGreat Lakes and have also been observed along Long Island during the winter (Bull 1985).

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Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

PresentBreeding

The time of year you would expect to find Laughing Gull in New York.

Similar Species

Franklin's Gull(Larus pipixcan): The Franklin?s Gull in breeding plumage is very similarto the Laughing Gull except that it is smaller in size and has a white band separating thedark primary feathers from the rest of the grey wing 9Burger 1996).

TaxonomyKingdom Animalia

Phylum Craniata

Class Birds (Aves)

Order Gulls, Plovers, and Shorebirds (Charadriiformes)

Family Laridae (Terns, Gulls and Relatives)

Synonyms

Larus atricilla (Linnaeus, 1758)

Additional ResourcesLinks

Google Imageshttp://images.google.com/images?q=LARUS+ATRICILLA

NatureServe Explorerhttp://natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=LARUS+ATRICILLA

References

American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. AllenPress, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.

Belant, J. L., and R. A. Dolbeer. 1993. Population status of nesting laughing gulls in the UnitedStates 1977-1991. Am. Birds 47:220-224.

Bent, A.C. 1921. Life histories of North American gulls and terns. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 113.Washington, D.C.

Bernhardt, Glenn, E. Lisa Kutschbach-Brohl, Brian E. Washburn, Richard B. Chipman, and Laura C.Francoeur. 2010. Temporal variation in terrestrial invertebrate consumption by Laughing gulls inNew York. The American Midland Naturalist 163 (2): 442-454.

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Buckley, F.G., M. Gochfeld and P.A. Buckley. 1978. Breeding laughing gulls return to Long Island.Kingbird 28:203-207.

Buckley, P. A., and F. G. Buckley. 1984. Seabirds of the north and middle Atlantic coast of theUnited States: their status and conservation. Pages 101-133 in Croxall et al., eds. Status andconservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Pub. No. 2.

Buckley, P.A and F.G. Buckley. 1984. Expanding double-crested cormorant and laughing gullpopulations on Long Island, NY. Kingbird 34(3):146-155.

Bull, John. 1974. Birds of New York State. Doubleday, Garden City, New York. 655 pp.

Burger, J., and M. Gochfield. 1985. Nest site selection bylaughing gulls: comparison of tropicalcolonies (Culebra, Puerto Rico) with temperate colonies (New Jersey). Condor 87:364-373.

Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins,Cleveland, Ohio.

Keys, Jr.,J.; Carpenter, C.; Hooks, S.; Koenig, F.; McNab, W.H.; Russell, W.;Smith, M.L. 1995.Ecological units of the eastern United States - first approximation (cd-rom), Atlanta, GA: U.S.Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. GIS coverage in ARCINFO format, selected imagery,and map unit tables.

NatureServe. 2005. NatureServe Central Databases. Arlington, Virginia. USA

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Checklist of the amphibians, reptiles,birds, and mammals of New York State, including their protective status. Nongame Unit, WildlifeResources Center, Delmar, NY.

Spendelow, J. A. and S. R. Patton. 1988. National Atlas of Coastal Waterbird Colonies in theContiguous United States: 1976-1982. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Report 88(5). x+ 326 pp.

Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf,New York.

The American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). Banks, R.C., R.T. Chesser, C. Cicero, J.L. Dunn, A.W.Kratter, I.J. Lovette, P.C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, Jr., J.D. Rising, D.F. Stotz, and K. Winker.2008. Forty-ninth supplement to the American Ornithologists' U

Wasilco M. 2006. Species group report for salt marsh breeding birds. Pages 139-146 of AppendixA1, Species group reports for birds in: New York State comprehensive wildlife conservationstrategy. New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany N

New York Natural Heritage Program

625 Broadway, 5th Floor,

Albany, NY 12233-4757

Phone: (518) 402-8935

acris@nynhp.org

This project is made possible with funding from:

- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River

Estuary Program

- Division of Lands & Forests, Department of Environmental Conservation

- New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Information for this guide was last updated on Mar 19, 2013

This guide was authored by

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