Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)Where and when to see it in the UK
Status not yet classified · reporting peaks January · Skimmers, Noddies, Terns, and Gulls · BOU category A
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Laughing Gull has been recorded in 24 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (1%) in records to 2026. Its strongest squares are in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Reporting peaks in January.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 100% or more of visits
- High
- 5% to 100%
- Moderate
- 1% to 5%
- Low
- under 1%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 100% | <1% | High |
| February | 62% | <1% | Moderate |
| March | 77% | <1% | Low |
| April | 17% | <1% | Moderate |
| May | 21% | <1% | Very high |
| June | 52% | <1% | Low |
| July | 6% | <1% | Very high |
| August | 38% | <1% | Moderate |
| September | 2% | <1% | Low |
| October | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| November | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| December | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in January
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| SJ39 | Liverpool, England | 100% | Very high |
| SX84 | Devon, England | 19% | High |
| D14 | Causeway Coast and Glens, Northern Ireland | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| HY64 | Orkney Islands, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| HZ27 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| NF09 | Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| SJ38 | Wirral, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| SJ80 | Staffordshire, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| SJ81 | Staffordshire, England | <1% | Insufficient records |
| SM70 | Pembrokeshire, Wales | <1% | Insufficient records |