Larus atricilla (*)

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Aves
Subclassis: Carinatae
Infraclassis: Neornithes
Parvclassis: Neognathae
Ordo: Charadriiformes
Subordo: Lari
Familia: Laridae
Subfamilia: Larinae
Genus: Larus
Species: Larus atricilla

Name

Larus atricilla Linnaeus, 1758

Reference

Systema Naturae ed.10 p.136

Vernacular names
Internationalization
Česky: Racek atlantický
Deutsch: Aztekenmöwe
Ελληνικά: Αζτεκόγλαρος
English: Laughing Gull
Français: Mouette atricille
日本語: ワライカモメ
Nederlands: Lachmeeuw
‪Norsk (bokmål)‬: Lattermåke
Português: Gaivota-alegre
Suomi: Nokisiipilokki

The Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla, is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. It breeds on the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Northernmost populations migrate further south in winter, and this species occurs as a rare vagrant to western Europe. (There was an influx into North-west Europe in late October 2005 when at least 18, possibly as many as 35, individuals occurred on one day in the UK alone.) The Laughing Gull's English name is derived from its raucous kee-agh call, which sounds like a high-pitched laugh "ha... ha... ha...".

Laughing Gull

This species is easy to identify. It is 36–41 cm (14–16 in) long with a 98–110 cm (39–43 in) wingspan. The summer adult's body is white apart from the dark grey back and wings and black head. Its wings are much darker grey than all other gulls of similar size except the smaller Franklin's Gull, and they have black tips without the white crescent shown by Franklin's. The beak is long and red. The black hood is mostly lost in winter.

Laughing Gulls take three years to reach adult plumage. Immature birds are always darker than most similar-sized gulls other than Franklin's. First-year birds are greyer below and have paler heads than first-year Franklin's, and second-years can be distinguished by the wing pattern and structure.

Laughing Gulls breed in coastal marshes and ponds in large colonies. The large nest, made largely from grasses, is constructed on the ground. The 3 or 4 greenish eggs are incubated for about three weeks. These are omnivores like most gulls, and they will scavenge as well as seeking suitable small prey.

Like most other members of the genus Leucophaeus, the Laughing Gull was long placed in the genus Larus. The present placement in Leucophaeus follows the American Ornithologists' Union.[2][3]

References

1. ^ BirdLife International (2004). Larus atricilla. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
2. ^ "Check-list of North American Birds". North American Classification Committee. American Ornithologists' Union. http://www.aou.org/checklist/north/full.php#Charadriiformes. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
3. ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr.; C. D. Cadena; A. Jaramillo; M. Nores; J. F. Pacheco; M. B. Robbins; T. S. Schulenberg; F. G. Stiles; D. F. Stot; K. J. Zimmer. "A classification of the bird species of South America". South American Classification Committee. American Ornithologists' Union. http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.html. Retrieved 2009-05-26.

* Harrison, Peter (1988). Seabirds : An Identification Guide. Christopher Helm. ISBN 0747014108.
* Field Guide to the Birds of North America (4 ed.). National Geographic Society. 2002. ISBN 0792268776.