Bird name:

Franklin's Gull

Larus pipixcanOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Codes: Common Name: FRGU Scientific Name: LARPIP ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176838

Franklin's Gull Winter Adult - The winter adult Franklin’s Gull has a white head with a streaked gray-black hood from midcrown to nape and covering its eye. The bill is dark gray-black and the feet and legs are red.

Franklin's Gull - The breeding adult Franklin’s Gull has a gray back and wings, white underparts and neck, and full black hood with a white eyering. The bill, legs, and feet are red.

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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.

Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull: Medium gull, gray back, white underparts. Head is black, white eye-ring; bill is orange, black spot near tip. Wings are short with white-bordered or spotted black tips. The legs are red-orange. Strong direct flight with deep wing beats. Soars on thermals and updrafts.

● Song: "cuk-cuk-cuk"

● Foraging & 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.

● Breeding & 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.

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

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight with deep rapid wing beats.

Franklin's Gull Breeding Adult Body Illustration

● Range & 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.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^Population

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight9.9 Ounces

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

Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull

Flight Pattern