Leucophaeus pipixcan
Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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.
It breeds in central provinces of Canada and adjacent states of the northern United States. It is a migratory bird, wintering in Argentina, the Caribbean, Chile, and Peru. The summer adult's body is white and its back and wings are much darker grey than all other gulls of similar size except the larger laughing gull. The wings have black tips with an adjacent white band. The bill and legs are red. The black hood of the breeding adult is mostly lost in winter.
Young birds are similar to the adult but have less developed hoods and lack the white wing band. They take three years to reach maturity. Measurements: Length: 12.6–14.2 in (32–36 cm) Weight: 8.1–10.6 oz (230–300 g) Wingspan: 33.5–37.4 in (85–95 cm) Although the bird is uncommon on the coasts of North America,... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abilene Zoological Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cameron Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | The Abilene Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Albuquerque Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Rio Grande Botanic Garden | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Franklin's Gull sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 146 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 120th most-seen of the 297 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Franklin's Gull in Celestún Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in June–September and December–March, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Franklin's Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 24
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Franklin's Gull sightings, Celestún Biosphere Reserve ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 50%), Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 30%) and Isla del Coco National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).
Same genus: Leucophaeus
The closest relatives of the Franklin's Gull that you can see in Celestún Biosphere Reserve (genus Leucophaeus, Hooded Gulls) are Laughing Gull (about 70%) and Grey Gull (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Franklin's Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Celestún Biosphere Reserve (146 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
