Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
GenusLeucophaeus (Hooded Gulls)
SpeciesLeucophaeus pipixcan (Franklin's Gull)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Saguaro National Park

4 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026

2,695 Verified sightings across all 56 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the 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.

It breeds in central provinces of Canada and adjacent states of the northern United States. It is a migratory bird, wintering in Argentina, the Caribbean, Chile, and Peru. 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. Measurements: Length: 12.6–14.2 in (32–36 cm) Weight: 8.1–10.6 oz (230–300 g) Wingspan: 33.5–37.4 in (85–95 cm) Although the bird is uncommon on the coasts of North America,... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Xema sabini

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Thalasseus elegans

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Rissa tridactyla

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Sterna paradisaea

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Larus delawarensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Larus glaucoides

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Sterna forsteri

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Larus heermanni

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Larus californicus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Sternula antillarum

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Charadrius vociferus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

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

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Elk Island National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~50%
2	Paracas National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	~50%
3	Riding Mountain National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~30%
4	Isla del Coco National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~20%
5	Galápagos Islands	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~10%
6	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
7	El Triunfo	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
8	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
9	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	<5%
10	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
11	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
12	Death Valley National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
13	Yellowstone National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
14	Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
15	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
16	Tierra del Fuego National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	<5%
17	Grand Teton National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
18	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
19	Rocky Mountain National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
20	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
21	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
22	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
23	Banff National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
24	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
25	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
26	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
27	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
28	Celaque National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
29	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
30	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
31	Wood Buffalo National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	Insufficient data
32	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
33	Coiba National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
34	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
35	Calakmul Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
36	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
37	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
38	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
39	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
40	Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park	🇨🇱 Chile	Insufficient data
41	Jasper National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	Insufficient data
42	Pacific Rim National Park Reserve	🇨🇦 Canada	Insufficient data
43	Badlands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
44	Redwood National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
45	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
46	Nahuel Huapi National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	Insufficient data
47	Glacier National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
48	Cañón del Sumidero National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
49	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	Insufficient data
50	Grand Canyon National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
51	Joshua Tree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
52	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
53	Big Bend National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
54	Shenandoah National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
55	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
56	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data

← Back to Saguaro National Park

Franklin's Gull

About the Franklin's Gull

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Sabine's Gull

Elegant Tern

Black-legged Kittiwake

Arctic Tern

Ring-billed Gull

Iceland Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Forster's Tern

Heermann's Gull

California Gull

Least Tern

Killdeer

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found