WhenToBird

Leucophaeus atricilla · Laridae

When Do Laughing Gulls Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult Laughing Gull
Photo: Drew Baxter, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Laughing Gulls reach North Carolina in late February, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of August (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 14% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 3.0% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.5% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.8% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.6% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.8% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.6% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.7% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.2% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.6% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.2% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.6% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.4% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 10% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.7% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.6% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.2% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.3% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.9% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.2% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.0% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.6% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.2% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.5% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.2% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.3% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.2% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.6% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.3% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.3% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% of 34796 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in North Carolina that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dare CountyBest the second week of July · 1023 checklists that week, 83,121 in all74%
  2. Carteret CountyBest late June · 949 checklists that week, 27,746 in all73%
  3. Hyde CountyBest the second week of August · 47 checklists that week, 8,350 in all70%
  4. New Hanover CountyBest mid April · 730 checklists that week, 33,362 in all62%
  5. Brunswick CountyBest early August · 614 checklists that week, 29,668 in all59%
  6. Onslow CountyBest early October · 200 checklists that week, 8,231 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bogue InletCarteret County, best late October · 22 checklists that week, 657 in all100%
  2. Allen SloughCarteret County, best late March · 25 checklists that week, 302 in all100%
  3. Isaac PondsDare County, best the second week of June · 21 checklists that week, 295 in all100%
  4. Cape HatterasDare County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 1,295 in all100%
  5. Mason InletNew Hanover County, best mid August · 41 checklists that week, 1,938 in all100%
  6. Federal PointNew Hanover County, best late May · 43 checklists that week, 1,553 in all99%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Laughing Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 13% of 50335 checklists7 am: 8.8% of 150152 checklists8 am: 6.2% of 182902 checklists9 am: 5.8% of 158933 checklists10 am: 5.9% of 128398 checklists11 am: 5.8% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 5.8% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 6.2% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 6.7% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 6.8% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 7.2% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 7.9% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 9.4% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January3.0%2.5%2.3%1.5%
February1.4%1.6%1.5%2.8%
March3.5%4.6%4.8%6.6%
April7.7%7.2%7.6%6.6%
May6.2%6.6%8.4%11%
June10%9.7%11%12%
July11%11%11%13%
August14%15%14%11%
September8.6%8.2%8.3%7.9%
October8.2%8.0%9.6%8.2%
November6.5%6.2%6.3%6.2%
December4.6%4.3%3.3%3.5%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: year-round, peaks early August
  • Virginia: arrives early March, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of July, 18 weeks later than North Carolina
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks the second week of October

Common questions

When do Laughing Gulls arrive in North Carolina?
Laughing Gulls reach North Carolina in late February, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of August (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Laughing Gulls leave North Carolina?
Most Laughing Gulls have left North Carolina by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of January.
When is the best time to see a Laughing Gull in North Carolina?
The Laughing Gull is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 14% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Laughing Gulls seen most often?
By county, Dare County, Carteret County, and Hyde County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Laughing Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).