Franklin

Franklin’s Gull Images, Facts and Information:

Leucophaeus pipixcan

  • Franklin’s Gulls are small to medium gulls with light gray backs, white underparts, black wingtips with white markings and broad white eye-arcs. Their heads turn black during breeding season and their bills and webbed feet turn dark red.
  • Franklin’s Gulls molt twice per year, it is believed they do that so they can migrate 5,000 miles to and from their wintering and breeding grounds. They are a long distance migratory species and winter along the west coast of South America.
  • Franklin’s Gulls breed in marshes and freshwater and saline lakes in western North America.
  • Franklin’s Gulls eat worms, insects, brine flies, mice, fish, seeds, grains and garbage. They catch and eat dragonflies and damselflies in the air.
  • Franklin’s Gulls lay 1 to 4 eggs which hatch in 18 to 25 days. Both sexes incubate and they are monogamous.
  • Early settlers called Franklin’s Gulls “Prairie Doves” and their original common name was “Franklin’s Rosy Gull” because of the pink hue their chests can have.
  • A group of gulls can be called a “squabble”, “flotilla”, “screech” and “scavenging” of gulls.
  • Franklin’s Gulls can live more than 10 years.

I hope you enjoy viewing my Franklin’s Gull photos.

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