Sightings:
- Black-legged Kittiwake (1st cycle). Hughes County, South Dakota. 01 January 2026.
- Black-headed Gull (adult). Palm Beach County, Florida. 03 January 2026.
- Little Gull (adult). New Hanover County, North Carolina. 03 January 2026.
- Short-billed Gull (adult). Crawford County, Arkansas. 04 January 2026.
- Glaucous-winged Gull (1st cycle). Niagara County, New York. 05 January 2026.
- Continuing from December 2025.
- Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Dubuque County, Iowa. 08 January 2026.
- Continuing
- Franklin's Gull (adult type). Snohomish County, Washington. 09 January 2026.
- Vega Gull (adult). Cameron County, Texas. 09 January 2026.
- Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Frontenac County, Ontario. 11 January 2026.
- Slaty-backed Gull (adult type). Wayne County, Michigan. 13 January 2026.
- Vega Gull (adult). Alameda County, California. 15 January 2026.
- Kamchatka Gull (adult). York County, Maine. 17 January 2026.
- Black-legged Kittiwake (adult type). Jefferson County, Texas. 18 January 2026.
- Black-headed Gull (adult). Kings County, New York. 21 January 2026.
- Black-legged Kittiwake (adult). Power County, Idaho. 21 January 2026.
- Yellow-footed Gull (adult). Merced County, California. 22 January 2026.
- Glaucous-winged Gull (2nd cycle). Jefferson County, Wisconsin. 24 January 2026.
- Black-headed Gull (1st cycle). Brevard County, Florida. 25 January 2026.
- California Gull (1st cycle). Brevard County, Florida. 26 January 2026.
- Kelp Gull (3rd cycle). Willacy County, Texas. 25 January 2026.
- Probable returning bird to this region, now in 3rd basic plumage.
- Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Jo Daviess County, Illinois. 26 January 2026.
- Same individual from Dubuque County, IA.
- Little Gull (adult). Galveston County, Texas. 26 January 2026.
- Little Gull (1st cycle). Cuyahoga County, Ohio. 26 January 2026.
- Rescue bird.
- Slaty-backed Gull (adult). Franklin County, Washington. 29 January 2026.
- Returning adult since at least winter of 2016.
- Kamchatka Gull (adult). Fairfield County, Connecticut. 30 January 2026.
- Presumably returning bird, since at least 2019.
Very likely, but unconfirmed adult Vega Gulls this month:
- Vega Gull (adult). Niagara County, Ontario. 02 January 2026.
- Vega Gull (adult). St. John's County, Florida. 11 January 2026.
Notes:
- An interesting 2nd cycle type Laughing Gull was found at the Brownsville Landfill in Cameron County, Texas this month. Photos from 08 January 2026 can be found here.
There are two options for this bird: melanistic Laughing Gull, and less likely, a hybrid Laughing x Gray Gull.
A pure Gray Gull can be dismissed for a number of reasons, first and foremost by the dark secondary tips which should be white-tipped in 2nd basic and beyond.
Melanistic gulls, including melanistic Laughing Gulls, are very rare, and when they are found there is usually some white pigments on the underwing and the body.
Hybrids are also rare, and to my knowledge, this pairing has not been recorded. However, given that the Florida Gray Gull now seems to be locked into North America, we have to give serious consideration to the possibility of a few Laughing x Gray Gull hybrids roaming the Gulf Coast. The timing is perfect, seeing that the Florida Gray Gull has been in our midst since at least June 2023. The two, Laughing Gull and Gray Gull, are in the same genus and it's not a long shot to imagine this pairing (Laughing Gull has hybridized with much more unexpected species, including Ring-billed Gull, Black-headed Gull and Gray-hooded Gull). This image in particular of the Texas bird, with chocolate-brown aspect -- not sooty-gray -- is very reminiscent of Gray Gull.
At any rate, it seems likely that the 1st cycle found here last year and accepted as a Texas first state record Gray Gull is the same individual (although impossible to know for certain). That record, of course, will need to be reevaluated.
