Franklin's Gull

Taxobox
name = Franklin's Gull


status = LC
status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Charadriiformes
familia = Laridae
genus = "Leucophaeus"
species = "L. pipixcan"
binomial = "Leucophaeus pipixcan"
binomial_authority = (Wagler, 1831, Mexico)
synonyms = "Larus pipixcan"The Franklin's Gull ("Leucophaeus pipixcan") is a small gull. It breeds in central provinces of Canada and adjacent states of the northern USA; in the Canadian Prairies region it is named the "Prairie Dove". It is migratory, wintering in the Caribbean, Peru, Chile, and Argentina.

This species is easy to identify. The summer adult's body is white and its back and wings are much darker grey than all other gulls of similar size except the larger Laughing Gull. The wings have black tips with an adjacent white band. The bill and legs are red. The black hood of the breeding adult is mostly lost in winter.

Young birds are similar to the adult but have less developed hoods and lack the white wing band. They take three years to reach maturity.

Franklin's Gulls breed in colonies near prairie lakes. The nest is constructed on the ground, or sometimes floating. The 2 or 3 eggs are incubated for about three weeks.

They are omnivores like most gulls, and they will scavenge as well as seeking suitable small prey.

This bird was named after the Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin.

Although Franklin's Gull is uncommon on the coasts of North America, it occurs as a rare vagrant to northwest Europe, south and west Africa, Australia and Japan, with a single record from Eilat, Israel in 2002 (Smith 2002).

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

* Smith, James (2002) A Franklin's Gull at Eilat - new to Israel and the Middle East Birding World Vol 16. No. 7 p. 281 (illustrated with a colour photograph of the bird alongside two Slender-billed Gulls)

External links

* [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=1627 Franklin's Gull videos] on the Internet Bird Collection
* [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Franklins_Gull.html Franklin's Gull Species Account] - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
* [http://www.sdakotabirds.com/species/franklins_gull_info.htm Franklin's Gull Information and Photos] - South Dakota Birds and Birding
* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i0590id.html Franklin's Gull - "Larus pipixcan"] - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
* [http://www.bird-stamps.org/cspecies/6704400.htm Stamps] (for Marshall Islands) with Americas' RangeMap
* [http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?VIREO_SESSION_ID=fb158f05e69205a36e5f67e40da796b8&Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=franklin%27s+gull&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=24 Franklin's Gull photo gallery] VIREO [http://vireo.acnatsci.org/species_image.php?species=Larus+pipixcan Photo-High Res]
* [http://www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/franklin'sgull.html Franklin's Gull article] [http://www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/photos/larpip15402.jpgphoto 1 of 3] write-up and photos