Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)

First found by Max Ferrero on 25 December 2023, I believe this is the 10th or 11th Laughing Gull record for Santa Cruz County. Similar to Franklin's Gull, Laughing Gull differs in its larger size, longer bill and having less white in its wing-tips. First cycle birds such as this differ in having a less contrasting face pattern, a more extensive dark tail band and more gray smudging on the sides of the breast. Laughing Gulls appears to be expanding from its core range on the East Coast with increasing numbers being found inland and vagrants turning up in coastal California and Hawaii. The larger subspecies "L. a. megalopterus" is widely recognized but considered a junior synonym of the smaller nominate race from the West Indies by some authors. Formerly included in the genus "Larus."