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 Joshua Tree National Park
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
California Gull
Larus californicus
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
Heermann's Gull
Larus heermanni
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Baird's Sandpiper
Calidris bairdii
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Franklin's Gull at Joshua Tree 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