Barbados | 2000 | Dollar | Laughing Gull

 



Laughing Gull



The laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) is a medium-sized gull native to coastal regions of North and South America, breeding mainly along the Atlantic coast, the Caribbean, and northern South America, with northern populations migrating south in winter. Occasionally it appears as a vagrant in western Europe, notably in a large influx to the UK in 2005. Named for its laughing call, the species is easily recognized by its white body, dark grey wings, black summer hood, and red bill. It takes three years to attain adult plumage, with immature birds darker than most similar gulls except Franklin’s gull. Laughing gulls nest in large coastal colonies, laying three to four eggs on ground nests, and feed opportunistically on a wide range of food. Formerly classified in Larus, it is now placed in Leucophaeus by the American Ornithologists’ Union.

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