Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan (Wagler, 1831)

≈39 cmLength92 cmWingspan280 gWeight

It is a small gull with a white body, black hood and darker gray back and wings than similar gulls in summer plumage.

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: United States, Canada, Chile

Looks like Laughing Gull

How to identify

Field marks

Body white, back and wings dark gray in summer plumage
Wingtips black, bordered by a single white band
Bill and legs red
Black hood in the breeding season, mostly disappearing in winter

Male, female and young

Juvenile resembles adult, but the black hood is less developed and the white wing-bar is absent.

Similar species

Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull also has very dark gray back and wings, but is larger.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: United States, Canada, Chile

Franklin's Gull has been recorded at 678 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 51 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Antelope Island SP – CausewayUnited States5,481 records
Calgary – Inglewood Bird SanctuaryCanada5,280 records
Frank Lake – NW lookout/blind/outflowCanada4,178 records

More places

Calgary – Carburn ParkCanada3,772 records
Cheyenne Bottoms WAUnited States3,176 records
Bear River MBR – Auto Tour LoopUnited States3,052 records
Farmington Bay WMAUnited States2,806 records
Hagerman NWRUnited States2,633 records
Refugio de Vida Silvestre Los Pantanos de Villa – Laguna Costera y Playa MarvillaPeru2,395 records
South Padre Is. – WBC/Conv. Center/Laguna Madre TrailUnited States2,219 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada Chile Peru Panama Mexico Costa Rica Argentina

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

Franklin's gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) is a small (length 12.6–14.2 in, 32–36 cm) gull. The genus name Leucophaeus is from Ancient Greek leukos, "white", and phaios, "dusky". The specific pipixcan is a Nahuatl name for a type of gull.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Franklin's Gull?

The Franklin's Gull is about ≈39 cm long, with a wingspan of 92 cm and weighs around 280 g.

Where does the Franklin's Gull live?

Its breeding range: North America: prairie marshes of western, northern Alberta and east-central Oregon to southwestern Manitoba (west-central, east-central Canada) and northwestern Minnesota. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Chile.

When is the best time to see the Franklin's Gull?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April and May (Northern Hemisphere).

What does the Franklin's Gull eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Franklin's Gull in?

It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: ≈39 cm
Wingspan: 92 cm
Weight: 280 g
Habitat: Coast & tidal flats
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Varied
Migration: Migratory

More measurements

Wing: 279 mm
Tail: 95 mm
Bill: 40 mm
Tarsus: 40 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America: prairie marshes of western, northern Alberta and east-central Oregon to southwestern Manitoba (west-central, east-central Canada) and northwestern Minnesota

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2