Bird name:

Franklin's Gull

Larus pipixcan

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Code 4

FRGU

Code 6

LARPIP

ITIS

176838

Breeding Location:

Marshes, Wetlands

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Buff, olive or brown with brown or black marks

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

18 - 25

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with fine grasses, moss, and plant down.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Franklin's Gull: Medium-sized gull with gray back and white underparts. Head is black with white eye-ring; bill is orange with black spot near tip. Wings are relatively short with white-bordered or spotted black tips. Legs are red-orange. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has white head with streaked dark gray cap and dark bill; white underparts may be tinted pink. Legs and feet are dark red. Juvenile resembles winter adult but has brown wash on upperparts and nape, which gradually fades by 1st winter.

Range and Habitat

Franklin's Gull: Breeds on marshes, sloughs, and wetlands around lakes from southern Canada to South Dakota and Iowa; also in scattered marshes in the west. Migrates to southeast and winters mainly along west coast of South America.

Breeding and Nesting

Franklin's Gull: Three buff, olive or brown eggs with brown and black markings are laid on a floating platform built above the water and lined with fine grass and plant down. Incubation ranges from 18 to 25 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Franklin's Gull: Feeds mostly on insects in summer, also eats earthworms, crustaceans, mollusks, small fish, and seeds. Forages in agricultural fields and meadows for grasshoppers and cutworms; catches dragonflies, mayflies and other flying insects in mid-air.

Vocalization

Franklin's Gull: Emits a harsh "cuk-cuk-cuk", with occasional interjected screaming of "keeah-ah keeah-ah."

Similar Species

Franklin's Gull: Laughing Gull has grayer head, less prominent eye crescents, and solid black wing tips.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Nape

Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America