Temporal Variation in Terrestrial Invertebrate Consumption by Laughing Gulls in New York

Authors

Glen E. Bernhardt, USDA Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, Ohio 44870
Lisa Kutschbach-Brohl, USDA Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, Ohio 44870
Brian E. Washburn, USDA Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research CenterFollow
Richard Chipman, USDA Wildlife Services, 1930 Route 9, Castleton, New York 12033Follow
Laura Francoeur, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Building 145, Jamaica, New York 11430

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2010

Comments

Published in Am. Midl. Nat. 163:442–454.

Abstract

Laughing gulls (Larus atricilla) are commonly found in many areas of North America and little is known about their diet, particularly in coastal-urban interfaces where gull-aircraft collisions can be a serious concern. The objective of this study was to describe and quantify the consumption of terrestrial invertebrates by laughing gulls at a coastal-urban interface in the northeastern United States. We examined the stomach contents of laughing gulls (n = 1053) collected during wildlife damage management operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport during the summers of 2003 and 2004. Terrestrial invertebrates consumed by laughing gulls represented 2 taxonomic phyla, 4 classes, 15 orders and 40 families. Beetles (Coleoptera) and ants (Hymenoptera) were the most common terrestrial invertebrates consumed by laughing gulls. We found evidence of temporal (i.e., monthly) variation in the frequency of occurrence of terrestrial insects in laughing gull diets. Laughing gull gender and age did not influence the frequency of occurrence of terrestrial insects in gull diets. Terrestrial environments (e.g., areas of turfgrass) appear to provide important foraging locations and food resources for laughing gulls in coastal-urban areas. This information is important for developing effective management approaches to reduce human-gull conflicts, such as gull-aircraft collisions at coastal airports.