Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)

Abundance: Rare; 6 records in 4 Regional counties, 3 in Kentucky and 1 in Tennessee (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts are too few to determine a trend in the population visiting the Region (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Visitor during fall (4 records), winter (1 record), and spring (1 record); photographs (see links below).

High Count: 3+ (see second record below).

Information on Records: 

25 September 2005 (2—1 adult and 1 juvenile) Wolf Creek Dam, Lake Cumberland, Russell County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006a).

26/27 September 2005 (3–4—1–2 adults and 2 immatures/1 immature) Waitsboro Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006a).

28 September 2005 (1—basic) Floating Mill Recreation Area, Center Hill Lake, DeKalb County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman).

24/25 October 2005 (1—second-year) Mason's Island/The Narrows, Barren River Reservoir, Barren County [near or in Allen County on the former date], Kentucky (David L. Roemer photo; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006a); photo (25 October 2005, David L. Roemer).

26–30 January 2006 (1—basic adult) Dam at Barren River Reservoir, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer photo; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006b), photo (26 January 2006, David L. Roemer).

21 March 2008 (1—adult) Waitsboro Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo).

Habitat: 

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Remarks: The three records taking place during late September 2005 probably all represented birds displaced by remnants of Hurricane Rita, which brushed the Region on the west during its northward passage 25–26 September 2005.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited