Laughing gulls

One of the cool looking gulls that live in this area, are the Laughing Gulls. They represent less than 1 percent of the gull population in the La Paz are, but with their springtime plumage, the completely black head, they do stand out.

Once the fall (non-breeding) season gets here, the plumage changes to the more drab, boring colors, that in many cases make identification a little more challenging.

Here is the spring (breeding) plumage

And here is what they look like now.

Just to show the difference, here is a Franklin's Gull, in spring plumage. The biggest identifier is the much broader eye arcs, where the Franklin's are thinner.