Laughing Gull vs Lava Gull

Leucophaeus atricilla compared with Leucophaeus fuliginosus

Key Differences

• Laughing Gull is Least Concern while Lava Gull is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Laughing Gull	Lava Gull
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)
Family same	Laridae	Laridae
Genus same	Leucophaeus	Leucophaeus
Species	Leucophaeus atricilla	Leucophaeus fuliginosus

Evolutionary Relationship

Laughing Gull and Lava Gull share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Leucophaeus.

Conservation Status

Laughing Gull

LC — Least Concern

Lava Gull

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Laughing Gull	Lava Gull
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Laughing Gull

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Lava Gull

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Ecuador and Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway