Laughing Gulls are primarily a coastal species, though the occasional individual will wander inland after breeding or be blown inland by storms. The single park record is of a loan individual seen near the Kephart Prong on the Newfound Gap Road on April 30, 1953, by Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher during a 30,000 mile trip across North America to determine how many species they could see in one year (documented in their book Wild America, 1955). It was speculated that this bird was blown to the Park by recent storms.

In Park: There is one record for the Park from 441 near the Kephart Prong Trail from 1955, but this species is strictly accidental in this area and not expected to be sighted again in the foreseeable future.

References:

Gough, G. A., Sauer, J. R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.