ABOUT THIS SPECIES
FRANKLIN’S GULL – (Species Account Weblog #67)
TAXONOMIC TREE:
- ORDER: Charadriiformes,
- FAMILY: Laridae,
- BINOMIAL NAME: Leucophaeus pipixcan
The Franklin’s Gull is a small, black-hooded gull that nests in small to very massive colonies in marshes of inside North America. In non-breeding plumage, grey mantle (with brown facilities to upperwing coverts in first winter), blackish primaries with various levels of white subterminal marks, white tail with grey middle, and darkish grey “saddle” throughout high of head to beneath eye, setting off distinguished broad white nuchal collar, lores, and brow. Grownup wing-tip sample normally attribute with white “window” between white-spotted black wing-tips and remainder of wing. Its gentle, buoyant flight and pinkish bloom led early ornithologists to name it the Rosy or Prairie Dove (from Birds of the World)
SIMILAR SPECIES
Unlikely to be confused with some other North American gull besides Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla). Normal traits that distinguish Laughing Gull in all plumages from Franklin’s Gull embody bigger dimension and heavier physique proportions, with notably longer head, invoice, and legs, and longer, extra pointed wings. Laughing Gull invoice is longer, thicker, and barely drooped reasonably than brief and straight. In Alternate I and all subsequent plumages, Franklin’s Gull could resemble Laughing Gull intently, however black on primaries is restricted and separated from the rest of wing by whitish areas (Lehman 1994a). In Definitive Alternate plumage, Franklin’s Gull additionally differs from Laughing Gull in having grayish (not white) central rectrices and thicker white eye-crescents.
DISTRIBUTION
PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES
In Costa Rica we noticed Franklin’s Gulls combined in with Laughing Gulls whereas on the boat tour on the mouth of the Tárcoles River.
PHOTO GALLERY
**A few of these Picture Gallery photos (all taken by me) have been taken in different close by nations.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
View the 5 most up-to-date Birds & Birding in Costa Rica sequence weblog posts beneath.
