Laughing Gull

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Laughing Gull in Denver?

Rare. Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Gull sighting in Denver on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 239th most-seen of the 299 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Laughing Gull in Denver?

Any time of year. In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Gull in Denver on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Laughing Gull?

Between 10 am and 1 pm. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Laughing Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Denver the best place to see a Laughing Gull?

21st of 24. Of the 24 cities where we can rate Laughing Gull sightings, Denver ranks 21st at under 5%. The best odds are in Havana (Cuba, about 40%), Panama City (Panama, about 30%) and New York City (United States, about 20%).

Q: Where does the Laughing Gull sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Laughing Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Denver (48 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Leucophaeus atricilla

Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
GenusLeucophaeus (Hooded Gulls)
SpeciesLeucophaeus atricilla (Laughing Gull)

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

at Denver

In 3 days <5%

48 Verified sightings at Denver

24,522 In all 44 parks From 2019 to 2026

April Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Laughing Gull

The laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. Named from its laugh-like call, it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger. It breeds in large colonies mostly along the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. The laughing gull was long placed in the genus Larus until its present placement in Leucophaeus.

The laughing gull was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Larus atricilla. Linnaeus based his account on the "laughing gull" from the Bahamas that had been described and illustrated in 1729–1732 by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. The laughing gull is now one of five New World gulls placed in the genus Leucophaeus that was introduced in 1855 by the German ornithologist Carl Friedrich Bruch. The genus name Leucophaeus is from Ancient... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:13

United States · 2026

Begging call0:40

United States · 2025

Long call0:04

United Kingdom · 2023

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 12 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Padre Island National Seashore	🇺🇸 United States	~90%
2	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~90%
3	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~70%
4	Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge	🇺🇸 United States	~50%
5	Biotopo Cerro Cahuí	🇬🇹 Guatemala	~30%
6	Utría National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	~30%
7	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
8	Ciénaga de Zapata	🇨🇺 Cuba	~30%
9	Jaragua National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	~20%
10	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	~20%
11	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~20%
12	Main Ridge Forest Reserve	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	~20%
13	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
14	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
15	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
16	Coiba National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
17	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
18	San Lorenzo Protected Forest	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
19	Isla del Coco National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
20	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~10%
21	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
22	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
23	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
24	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
25	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
26	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
27	Galápagos Islands	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
28	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
29	Lago de Yojoa	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
30	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
31	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
32	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
33	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
34	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
35	Caroni Swamp	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	<5%
36	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
37	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
38	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
39	Bahía de Loreto National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
40	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
41	Tayrona National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
42	Cumbres de Monterrey National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
43	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
44	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Havana	🇨🇺 Cuba	~40%
2	Panama City	🇵🇦 Panama	~30%
3	New York City	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
4	Miami	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
5	Barranquilla	🇨🇴 Colombia	~10%
6	Philadelphia	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
7	Baltimore	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
8	Houston	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
9	Maracaibo	🇻🇪 Venezuela	<5%
10	Boston	🇺🇸 United States	<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Tierpark Berlin	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
2	Abilene Zoological Gardens	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
3	Fort Worth Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
4	Houston Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
5	Cameron Park Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
6	The Abilene Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
7	Aquarium of the Americas	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
8	Mote Marine Laboratory	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
9	Albuquerque Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
10	South Carolina Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
11	Rio Grande Botanic Garden	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
12	Seaside Seabird Sanctuary	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity

Show all 12 Show fewer

Closest Relatives at Denver

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Larus delawarensis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Larus californicus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Larus smithsonianus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Larus fuscus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Larus glaucoides

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Hydroprogne caspia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Sterna forsteri

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Xema sabini

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Rissa tridactyla

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Laughing Gull in Denver?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Gull sighting in Denver on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 239th most-seen of the 299 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Laughing Gull in Denver?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Gull in Denver on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Laughing Gull?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Laughing Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Denver the best place to see a Laughing Gull?

21st of 24

Of the 24 cities where we can rate Laughing Gull sightings, Denver ranks 21st at under 5%. The best odds are in Havana (Cuba, about 40%), Panama City (Panama, about 30%) and New York City (United States, about 20%).

Where does the Laughing Gull sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Laughing Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Denver (48 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Denver

Laughing Gull

About the Laughing Gull

Sounds

Recent sightings of Laughing Gull in Denver

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Denver

Franklin's Gull

Ring-billed Gull

California Gull

American Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Iceland Gull

Caspian Tern

Forster's Tern

Sabine's Gull

Common Tern

Black-legged Kittiwake

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Laughing Gull in Denver?

When is the best time to see a Laughing Gull in Denver?

What time of day is best to see a Laughing Gull?

Is Denver the best place to see a Laughing Gull?

Where does the Laughing Gull sighting chance come from?