Franklin's Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusLeucophaeus (Hooded Gulls)
- SpeciesLeucophaeus pipixcan (Franklin's Gull)
Franklin's gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) is a small (length 12.6–14.2 in, 32–36 cm) gull. The genus name Leucophaeus is from Ancient Greek leukos, "white", and phaios, "dusky". The specific pipixcan is a Nahuatl name for a type of gull. The English common name was given to commemorate the arctic explorer Sir John Franklin, who led an expedition in 1825 on which the type was collected. Wikipedia →
30–40% of wildlife watchers report a Franklin's Gull sighting in Riding Mountain National Park, based on 159 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Riding Mountain National Park
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Sabine's Gull
Xema sabini
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
California Gull
Larus californicus
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Franklin's Gull in Riding Mountain National Park?
About 31% of wildlife watchers report a Franklin's Gull sighting in Riding Mountain National Park, based on 159 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Franklin's Gull in Riding Mountain National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Franklin's Gull in Riding Mountain National Park in our monthly data.