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.
Juvenile Franklin’s Gull on the wing
Title: Juvenile Franklin’s Gull on the wing
Location: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Date: 8/24/2017
Franklin’s Gull chasing Brine flies
Title: Franklin’s Gull chasing Brine flies
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 7/25/2015
Franklin’s Gull molting to nonbreeding plumage
Title: Franklin’s Gull molting to nonbreeding plumage
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 7/25/2015
Molting Franklin’s Gull in flight
Title: Molting Franklin’s Gull in flight
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 7/25/2015
Franklin’s Gull feeding on Brine flies
Title: Franklin’s Gull feeding on Brine flies
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 6/28/2013
Franklin’s Gull adult in breeding plumage
Title: Franklin’s Gull adult in breeding plumage
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 6/28/2013
Juvenile Franklin’s Gulls
Title: Juvenile Franklin’s Gulls
Location: Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana
Date: 7/19/2012
Hundreds of Franklin’s Gulls feeding on the Great Salt Lake Brine flies
Title: Hundreds of Franklin’s Gulls feeding on the Great Salt Lake Brine flies
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 7/6/2012
Franklin’s Gull on the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake
Title: Franklin’s Gull on the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 6/29/2012
Franklin’s Gull in breeding plumage
Title: Franklin’s Gull in breeding plumage
Location: Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana
Date: 6/15/2011
Foraging Franklin’s Gull hovering over prey
Title: Foraging Franklin’s Gull hovering over prey
Location: Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana
Date: 6/15/2011
Franklin’s Gulls foraging in Montana
Title: Franklin’s Gulls foraging in Montana
Location: Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana
Date: 6/15/2011
Franklin’s Gull in flight
Title: Franklin’s Gull in flight
Location: Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana
Date: 6/15/2011