Laughing Gull

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Costa del Este, Panama, 9 May 2010

Bird name: Laughing Gull
Latin: Leucophaeus atricilla
Other: Larus atricilla • Gaviota reidora americana (Es) • Gaivota-alegre (Br), guincho-americano
Family: Laridae • Gulls
Range: North, Central, South America

Laughing Gull is the most common gull in Panama, seen here in large numbers by the airport shoreline in Panama City, mixed with Black Bellied Plover and other shorebirds and sea birds.

Laughing Gull adults in breeding plumage have a black cap and red bill, the majority of those above are immatures.