Franklin's Gull (Larus pipixcan)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Adult

First Year

Color Photographs: © by and courtesy of John Cassady

Franklin's Gull (Larus pipixcan)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 13 to 15 inches.

Summer Plumage: Back and wings gray. The wing is primarily gray with a white rear margin. The apex of the wing has a white band, followed by a wider black band, ending in a white apex continuing as part of the white rear margin. Head black with a white eye ring and a dark, reddish bill. Breast and undersides white. Tail white. Feet red.

Winter Plumage: Similar to the summer bird, but without a black hood. Head white with vague gray markings.

Immature: Back and wings gray- brown with a white rear edge to the wing. Head white with nape of the neck gray wrapping around the rear margin of the eye. Tail with an apical black band.

Similar Species:  There are several species of gulls with black heads in their adult, summer plumage. These species are best identified by the configuration of colors on the wings. The Laughing Gull has an entirely gray wing with a narrow, white, rear margin. The wings tend to shade to black toward the apex. Bonaparte's Gull has wings with a gray base (the secondary feathers. The outer, forward edge of the wing is white. The tips of the long, outer feathers (the primary feathers) are black. Sabine's Gull has a black outer, forward wing patch, and inner, white rear margin, and a pale gray inner, forward margin. The entire forward wing margin of the Black-headed Gull is white. The rest of the wing is light gray. The tips of the primary feathers are black. Finally the Little Gull is smaller than these other species. The entire wing is light gray and the rear margin with white. The immature Franklin's Gull is most similar to that of the Laughing Gull. However the head of the Laughing Gull is all brown, not white with diffuse gray markings.

Breeding Range (see map below): Franklin's Gull Breeds in the Prairie Provinces of Canada and the northern Prairie States of the northern United States with scattered populations further west.

Overwintering Range:  This species spends the winters on the Pacific Coast of South America.

Habitat: Franklin's Gull breeds near prairie marshes and sloughs, and forages in nearby prairie and cultivated fields.

Food: Insects, small fish, and aquatic invertebrates during the breeding season.

Behavior: Unlike many gulls, this species is found far from the ocean, breeding in the prairies of North America. Franklin's Gull is endangered by the shrinking of its prairie habitat, particularly because it will only breed in large colonies. The voice is a harsh ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 3 brown-spotted dark tan eggs. The eggs are laid on a platform of reeds situated in a marsh.