Today's Bird: The Laughing Gull

It's true: there's no such thing as a seagull.  There are tons of different types of gulls in the United States, but none of them is called a seagull.  The most common are probably the Ring Billed and Herring Gulls, but different coastal areas have their own special gulls that plague their beaches and steal their french fries.  Around here, this is our gull: the Laughing Gull.  They're everywhere at South Padre, but they'll fly inland as far as McAllen and you'll see them hanging out in parking lots and open spaces.  I took this picture at South Padre Island on May 19, 2012.