What does the Laughing Gull song sound like?
Leucophaeus atricilla
Song common
Play the real Laughing Gull song, the "ha-ha-ha-ha-HAH-ha", and learn what to listen for.
“ha-ha-ha-ha-HAH-ha”
What the Laughing Gull song sounds like
A loud, cackling burst of 6–10 notes that rise and fall, sounding like hysterical human laughter. Given in social contexts, especially at nesting colonies.
“ha-ha-ha-ha-HAH-ha”
Birders often file this one under Raucous Laugh.
How to find the bird singing it
Sandy beaches, salt-marsh islands, estuaries, mudflats, harbors, coastal landfills, and urban waterfronts.
- Black breeding hood: Entire head sooty-black with narrow white eye crescents (replaced by dusky smudging in non-breeding).
- Red bill & legs: Slender, slightly drooping bill and legs bright reddish to dark crimson on adults.
- Medium-gray mantle: Back and upperwings a smooth medium-slate gray contrasting with white underparts.
When you'll hear it
Spring
Adults return to coastal colonies; heads turn jet black.
Summer
Nesting peaks; loud colonies on salt-marsh islands.
Fall
Post-breeding flocks gather; juveniles show brown-checkered wings before migrating south.
Winter
Most northern birds absent; remaining adults lose black hood, head largely white with gray smudges.
Laughing Gull song FAQ
What does a Laughing Gull song sound like?
A loud, cackling burst of 6–10 notes that rise and fall, sounding like hysterical human laughter. Given in social contexts, especially at nesting colonies. Birders write it as "ha-ha-ha-ha-HAH-ha".
How do I tell a Laughing Gull from a Franklin’s Gull by ear?
Franklin’s Gull: Smaller with shorter bill.; In flight shows broad white band on trailing edge plus more black and white pattern in primaries..
When is the best time to hear the Laughing Gull song?
Colonial nesting begins in late spring. Post-breeding dispersal peaks late summer. Most northern breeders migrate southward in autumn; some remain year-round in the Gulf and southern Atlantic states.
More Laughing Gull sounds
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