Franklin’s Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan

Written and Compiled by Lindsey Hernandez

Painting by Louis Agassiz Fuertes circa 1900
Photo by USFW

The Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) is a delicate and graceful seabird known for its buoyant flight, striking appearance, and impressive migratory patterns. Breeding primarily in the northern Great Plains of North America, this gull is often seen in large colonies, especially in marshes, where it nests by the thousands. It spends its winters along the coasts of Chile and Peru, making it one of the more remarkable migratory birds in the region.

During spring and fall, they pass through various regions, including Texas, where birdwatchers can spot them along lakeshores and wetlands. In central Texas, Franklin’s Gulls are common during April, May, and October, often heard before they are seen due to their distinctive calls. Bob Wentz Windy Point on Lake Travis and Lake Walter E. Long are both great places to spot the gull. The gulls are on their way to or from their breeding grounds in the prairie pothole regions of the Dakotas, Montana, and prairie Canada, or on their winter migration to South America.

The Franklin’s Gull is particularly striking during its breeding season. Adult birds sport black heads and a rosy blush on their underparts, which has earned them the nickname “rosy dove.” This subtle pink coloration fades as the breeding season progresses, though it can often be seen even on birds in flight. In addition to their distinctive plumage, they have slightly smaller bills than other gull species, such as the Laughing Gull, and larger white spots on their wing tips. These features make them easy to identify, particularly in flight.

While Franklin’s Gulls are common in the interior of North America, they are rarely found on the coast. They are especially abundant in the northern Great Plains, where they frequent freshwater marshes. In fact, they are sometimes referred to as the “Prairie Dove” due to their preference for nesting in these open, wetland environments. In addition to marshes, Franklin’s Gulls can often be spotted following farm plows, where they feast on insects and small fish turned up by the tilling of the soil.

Beetles, bugs, grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, flies, midges, dragonflies, and damselflies, plus larval forms of these insects, form the bulk of the diet during the breeding season. Franklin’s Gulls also occasionally consume leeches, snails, crayfish, fish, and small mice. Most of their foraging in spring involves capturing insects in flight over wetlands and farm fields, but they often capture midges by sitting on the water and picking them from the surface as they emerge. In such cases, Franklin’s Gulls spin in circles like phalaropes, bringing prey closer to the water’s surface by creating a vortex beneath themselves.

The Franklin’s Gull is gregarious and social, forming large flocks, with reports of over a million gulls observed on a single day during the winter months. The birds gather in large number on both their wintering and breeding grounds.

During the breeding season, Franklin’s Gulls establish colonies in wetland areas where they build floating nests on the water’s surface. These nests, which are constructed from marsh plants, require constant upkeep as the materials below the surface of the water decay. Both parents contribute to the construction of the nest, adding fresh material daily until the colony departs for the season. Interestingly, even the chicks help in nest maintenance, adding material from the surrounding area.

Sources include Cornell Lab of Orinthology