Laughing Gull

Natural Habitat

Coastal areas, beaches, salt marshes, estuaries, and urban environments near water. They are often found in parking lots, piers, and dumps where food is readily available.

Diet & Feeding

Omnivorous and highly opportunistic. They primarily eat insects, crustaceans, fish, and other marine invertebrates. They also scavenge for food scraps in urban and coastal areas, sometimes eating eggs and chicks of other birds.

Behavior Patterns

Laughing Gulls are known for their loud, distinctive calls, which sound like laughter. They are highly social, especially during breeding season, forming large colonies. They forage by walking or swimming, and are also known to steal food from other birds and humans (kleptoparasitism).

Risks & Benefits

Potential risks include being a nuisance in highly populated coastal areas due to their scavenging behavior and droppings. They can also carry pathogens. Benefits include their role as scavengers, cleaning up organic waste, and as an indicator species for coastal ecosystem health.

Identified on: 6/30/2025