Priorities for Future Research

Conducting long-term studies of individually marked adults to estimate age-specific and lifetime breeding success is a high priority, including for populations in the Northeast, Gulf Coast, Florida, and Caribbean. Detailed comparisons of the breeding phenology, behavior, physiology, and reproductive success of temperate and tropical colonies of Laughing Gulls would be useful. There are no data on mate fidelity, age distribution of breeding adults, life span, and lifetime reproductive success. Considering that some Laughing Gulls nest completely in the open and others nest under dense vegetation, the physiological constraints of habitats and latitude should be examined. Morphological differences between temperate and tropical Laughing Gulls should be investigated.

Laughing Gulls have increased dramatically in some Northeast states while remaining stable in other regions of the range; reasons for these differences should be investigated. This increase has occurred while other gulls (e.g., Herring Gull) have decreased in the same areas. Diversification of feeding niche may account for increase, but this requires study. Furthermore, the effect of large-scale killing of birds in New York at Kennedy International Airport on populations in surrounding states should be investigated.

There are major gaps in our understanding of the biology of this gull: on breeding grounds in the southern United States and the Caribbean and on wintering grounds in Florida, South America, and the Caribbean, and including feeding offshore, predation, flocking, distribution, and interactions with humans. More information is needed on the levels and effects of toxic substances on this species throughout its range.