Chortle
noun
A joyful, somewhat muffled laugh, rather like a snorting chuckle.
“He frequently interrupted himself with chortles while he told us his favorite joke.”
A similar sounding vocalisation of various birds.
Synonyms: chuckle
verb
To laugh with a chortle or chortles.
“The old fellow chortled as he recalled his youthful adventures.”
Synonyms: chuckle