If you’ve spent any time along Florida’s beaches, you’ve almost certainly met the Laughing Gull—the sharp‑eyed, sharp‑voiced beach comedian whose cackling ha‑ha‑ha‑ha! call is one of the most familiar sounds of the coast. Their name isn’t poetic exaggeration; they really do sound like they’re laughing at you as they wheel overhead or strut confidently across the sand.
Breeding adults have a black head and a red bill. Immature birds are brownish and mottled with a dark bill and no black hood.