Laughing Gull

Overview
Laughing Gull: Medium gull, gray back, white underparts. Head has black hood, neck is white, and bill is red. Wings are gray and white-edged and black at tips; tail is white. Legs and feet are black. Slow flight with deep wing beats. Soars on updrafts. Named for its laughterlike call.

Range and Habitat
Laughing Gull: Lives mainly on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S., ranging from Maine down through Florida and Texas. Spends winters regularly north to Virginia, in smaller numbers farther north. Found in salt marshes, lagoons, and coastal beaches.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Laughing Gull is the largest of the dark-hooded gulls. It is aptly named, as its extended, "ha-ha-ha" call resembles laughter. Folklore from Scotland says “Seagull, seagull, sit on the sand; it’s a sign of rain when you are at hand.” Birds will roost in times of low pressure, which is often indicative of an oncoming storm. Vagrant birds have, on rare occasion, been sighted in western Europe. A group of gulls has many collective nouns, including a "flotilla", "gullery", "screech", "scavenging", and "squabble" of gulls.