Montana Field Guide

Franklin's Gull - Larus pipixcan

The Franklin's Gull is a small gull of wetlands in the interior of North America. In breeding plumage, this species has a black hood and a dark red bill with a black mark near the tip. The dark gray of the back extends to the upperpart of the wings. The underparts of the bird, including the wings, are white. The hindneck, the area between the black hood and the gray back, is also white. The underparts are sometimes tinged with pink, a coloration that earned the species the early name of Rosy or Prairie Dove (Burger and Gochfeld 1994). The legs are brownish-black or dusky (Burger and Gochfeld 1994). Broad white arcs directly above and below the black eye are apparent during the breeding season. The gray wings are tipped with a white band, then a black margin, and ultimately with large white primary ends.

In non-breeding plumage, the species loses the redness in the bill, and it becomes black. The black hood is reduced to an area from the eye to the back of the head, revealing a white forehead, throat, and splotchy crown. The bird averages 37 cm (14.5 inches) long with a wingspan of 91 cm (36 inches); the male tends to be slightly larger than the female (Sibley 2000). The vocalization of the Franklin's Gull is described as a nasal, laughing, hollow sound. A "kowii" or "queel" are used to define the common call (Sibley 2000).

The most likely species with which the Franklin's Gull could be confused is the Laughing Gull, a rare species in Montana. The Franklin's Gull is slightly smaller, with proportionately smaller legs and bill. The bill is thinner and does not droop at the tip as it does on the Laughing Gull (Burger and Gochfeld 1994). The arcs of white around the Franklin's Gull's eye are more apparent as are the large white primary tips of the wings; the wingtips on the Laughing Gull have white on them, but the white is small and is not always evident (Sibley 2000). Differentiating the Franklin's Gull from the Bonaparte's can be made by several distinguishing features. The Franklin's is larger; the bill color is red in the Franklin's compared to black in the Bonaparte's; and unlike the indistinct white around the Bonaparte's eye, the white eye-arcs of the Franklin's are obvious (Sibley 2000).

Montana Range

The Franklin's Gull generally returns to the state in mid-April and is gone by early to mid-October. In Montana, the extreme migration dates for this species are April 4 (1971; Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge; Casey 2000) and October 11 (1955; Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge; Reichel 1996). The normal arrival date at Fort Peck is April 20, and at Bozeman it is May 15 (Skaar et al. 1985).

Preferring large, relatively permanent prairie marsh complexes, the Franklin's Gull builds its nests over water on a supporting structure of emergent vegetation. Nesting is noted to occur in cattails (Typha spp.) and bulrushes (Scirpus spp.) (Berger and Gochfeld 1994). Typical water depth is 30 to 60 cm. Nesting over water differs from the nesting habits of Montana's other, generally ground nesting, gulls (Johnsgard 1986). Franklin's Gulls prefer to nest at sites with intermediate vegetation density, interspersed with open water of various sizes (Burger and Gochfeld 1994). Preferred nesting sites within a wetland can change from year to year because of changes in water level and associated changes in vegetation (Burger and Gochfeld 1994). One key feature of selected nesting sites is that the water levels remain high enough throughout the nesting period, or at least until the young can fledge, in order to provide protection from predators (Casey 2000). During migration, including the Bozeman area, the Franklin's Gull can be found feeding on dry land, especially in cultivated fields prior to planting (Skaar 1969, Johnsgard 1986).

At Freezeout Lake, stomach contents included insects, oligochaetes, arachnids and unidentified vertebrates, and plant material believed to be taken incidentally to consuming animals (Rothweiler 1960).

Franklin's Gulls often flock when feeding. During migration and on wintering areas, this species has been observed in upwards of 500,000 individuals in a flock (Burger and Gochfeld 1994).

Breeding is very localized and occurs mainly in the northern portion of state's plains region and in the southwest. Franklin's Gulls are known to nest in five locations in Montana and may account for as many as 34,000 breeding pairs (Reichel 1996). In 1994-95, the number of nesting pairs for each of the locations was recorded as: Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge (50-500); Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge (20; previously up to 7500); Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge (16,000); Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management Area (16,000); and Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (200 +; Reichel 1996). Possible breeding has been reported at other locations in Montana, without details (Montana Bird Distribution 2003).

At Freezeout Lake, nest density ranged from 5 to 111 nests per 0.1 acre plot (Rothweiler 1960). Nests are typically 0.6 to 2.5 m apart (Burger 1974). They are made of piled vegetation, usually whatever is closest; material is added throughout the nesting period up to fledging. At Freezeout Lake nests were constructed of alkali bulrush stems, either built from the lake bottom, or floating but anchored to emergent vegetation (Rothweiler 1960). At Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge nest diameter averaged 58 cm early in incubation; additional material increases the nest size throughout the nesting period (Berger and Gochfeld 1994). Franklin's Gull may nest in association with other colonial nesting species including: White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi), Black-crowned Night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), and Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) (Casey 2000).

No management activities in Montana specific to Franklin's Gulls are documented. However, management activities should recognize the caution required at colonies particularly just before egg-laying and just after hatching to prevent desertion of the colony or mortality of young chicks (Reichel 1996).