The bird that looks most similar to a seagull with an orange beak is likely the Laughing Gull. The Laughing Gull is a medium-sized gull that breeds on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of North America. During the summer breeding season, the adult Laughing Gull has a black head, white body, gray wings, and a stout orange bill tipped with black. In the winter, the head is mostly white with a dark ear spot. The Laughing Gull’s orange bill distinguishes it from other white-headed gulls like the Ring-billed Gull or Herring Gull that have yellow bills. While variable, the Laughing Gull’s bill color is most often orange-red at the base fading towards pink or pale orange at the tip.
Identifying Features of the Laughing Gull
In addition to its orange bill, the Laughing Gull has several other identifying features:
- Medium size, around 16-18 inches in length with a wingspan of around 3 feet
- Black hood and white underside/neck during breeding season
- Mostly white head with dark ear spot in winter
- Gray upperwings
- Black tips on the ends of its primary wing feathers
- Orange legs and feet
- Distinctive black “W” marking on wings in flight
- Loud, laughing call
The Laughing Gull’s black hood is a key way to identify it. Other similar gulls like the Franklin’s Gull have dark heads but lack the solid black hood. The black wingtips are also an important marker and help separate the Laughing Gull from gulls with yellow or white wingtips in flight.
Range and Habitat
The Laughing Gull has a range centered on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America. Its breeding range extends from Maine south to Texas and the Gulf of Mexico, while its winter range stretches primarily along the U.S. coastline from North Carolina to Texas and south through Mexico and parts of Central America. Some Laughing Gulls, especially younger birds, also spend the winter inland along rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.
During the breeding season, Laughing Gulls are found mainly along the coastal beaches, islands, marshes, and lagoons of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts. They nest in colonies on low sandy or gravelly islands with little to no vegetation. Their nests consist of scrapes or depressions in the ground, lined with marsh grasses, seaweed, or other debris. Laughing Gulls forage in shallow coastal bays, estuaries, tidal pools, ponds, and wetlands.
Migration
The Laughing Gull is migratory, traveling from its northern breeding grounds to its southern wintering range each year. Here are key details about its migration:
- Fall migration takes place between August to November.
- Spring migration occurs between late February to May.
- Younger birds arrive later and leave earlier than adults during both migrations.
- Migrates during the day and night, often in large flocks.
- Follows coastlines but can also take inland routes through Central America.
- Winters along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts south to Central America and northern South America.
The timing of migration depends on the age and sex of individual birds. Adult Laughing Gulls tend to arrive first on the breeding grounds and stay later into the fall before migrating south. Younger birds migrate earlier in the fall and later in the spring. Both juveniles and adults that nest farther north migrate earlier than more southern nesting birds.
Diet
The Laughing Gull is an omnivorous and opportunistic feeder. Its diet consists of:
- Small fish
- Crustaceans
- Mollusks
- Marine worms
- Insects
- Eggs and chicks of other birds
- Carrion from dead animals
- Human food waste
- Earthworms and other terrestrial invertebrates when inland
The Laughing Gull typically hunts while swimming, wading, or walking in shallow waters. It will also hover and plunge dive for prey. Its technique of surface plunging, where it dives from the air into schools of small fish, helps distinguish it from other coastal gulls. Laughing Gulls are also opportunistic and will scavenge scraps from landfills, fishing docks, and picnic areas.
Breeding and Nesting
Here are some key facts about the Laughing Gull’s breeding habits:
- Nests colonially in groups of up to 25,000 pairs.
- Forms pair bonds that may last several breeding seasons.
- Breeding occurs between April to August depending on latitude.
- Nest is a shallow scrape lined with debris on bare ground.
- Lays 2-4 eggs that are incubated by both parents for 21-25 days.
- Chicks fledge around 5 weeks after hatching.
- One brood per season, but may re-nest after failures.
- Reaches sexual maturity around 3 years old.
- Nest is defended from predators by both parents.
Laughing Gull colonies can be very dense with nests built just a few feet apart. Nesting habitat is subject to overwash and predation. Eggs and chicks may be taken by gulls, crows, racoons, foxes, and other coastal predators. Adults are very defensive and will mob intruders.
Species Comparison
While the orange bill makes the Laughing Gull unique, there are a few other gull species it could potentially be confused with by casual observers:
Ring-billed Gull
- Yellow bill with black ring
- Pale inner wingtips
- Lacks solid black hood
- More northern range
Herring Gull
- Larger size
- All yellow bill
- Pink legs
- Heavier build
Franklin’s Gull
- Darker grey wings
- Dark red bill
- Dark head but lacks hood
- More inland range
The Laughing Gull’s black head and orange bill combined make it distinctive compared to similar species. In winter, the dark ear spot against its white head helps identify it.
Conservation Status
The Laughing Gull has a large range and population. According to the IUCN Red List, it is classified as Least Concern. Key facts about its conservation status include:
- Global population estimated at 810,000 to 1.2 million breeding pairs.
- Population considered stable with increasing trends in some regions.
- Habitat loss and disturbance of nesting colonies are main threats.
- Protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the U.S. and Canada.
Increased coastal development near nesting areas and human recreation pressures are concerns for the Laughing Gull. But with its ability to nest in urban and suburban areas, it remains common and widespread overall.
Conclusion
With its distinctive orange bill, black hood, and noisy chattering calls, the Laughing Gull is one of the most recognizable gulls along the coasts of North America. It has adapted well to nesting near human activity and taking advantage of food sources like landfills. While not considered globally threatened, local impacts on nesting habitat and colonies require ongoing monitoring to maintain stable populations of this species.