LAUGHING GULL
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The laughing gull is well named. It is the "swinger" of the gull family: playful, gregarious and noisy with its loud cries so suggestive of laughter and well-being. Handsome in a white coat surmounted by a slate-gray cloak and nearly black hood, it is also one of the most handsome of a large family. A summer visitor to the Historic Triangle, it delights in following fishing boats, excursion boats or ferries, always on a lookout for handouts from admiring passengers.

At one time the laughing gull was hunted and killed for its plumage that was used by milliners, but with protection over the years, it has now reached a safe spot in the world of nature.

Laughing gulls nest in colonies along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts on the many islands that frequent the area. Often the eggs are laid in a slight depression; at other times well constructed nests of decayed vegetation are used.

Reliable observers have seen laughing gulls light on the heads of pelicans and snatch fish from their roomy beaks. These birds consume nearly any kind of animal food, dead or alive, and strangely enough, many insects.

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