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 Shenandoah National Park
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Hudsonian Whimbrel
Numenius hudsonicus
Willet
Tringa semipalmata
Long-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceus
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Franklin's Gull at Shenandoah 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