Leucophaeus pipixcan
Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Franklin's Gull sighting in Vancouver on a given day, based on 75 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 207th most-seen of the 252 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Franklin's Gull in Vancouver on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
22nd of 27
Of the 27 cities where we can rate Franklin's Gull sightings, Vancouver ranks 22nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Calgary (Canada, about 30%), Lima (Peru, about 30%) and Edmonton (Canada, about 20%).
Same family: Laridae
The closest relatives of the Franklin's Gull that you can see in Vancouver (family Laridae, Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers) are Glaucous-winged Gull (about 60%), Short-billed Gull (about 10%) and Ring-billed Gull (about 10%), 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 Vancouver (75 verified sightings), 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.
