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 →
Closest Relatives at Tortuguero National Park
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Brown Noddy
Anous stolidus
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Elegant Tern
Thalasseus elegans
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Franklin's Gull at Tortuguero National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ 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