Birds
Franklin's Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan · also called prairie dove
Trailing a tractor across a prairie field, a Franklin’s gull snatches up insects turned loose from the soil, a habit far removed from the coastal image most people have of gulls and one that earned this inland species the nickname prairie dove.
Overview
Franklin’s gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan, is a small, black-hooded gull native to wetland and grassland habitat across the interior of North America, wintering along the Pacific coast of South America. Its unusual inland prairie breeding grounds, habit of following farm machinery for food, and remarkably long annual migration make it one of the least coastal and most behaviourally distinctive members of the entire gull family.
A gull that never needed the coast
While most gulls are defined by their relationship with the sea, Franklin’s gull built an entirely different life on the prairies, trading ocean waves for farmland furrows and finding just as reliable a food source in the wake of a passing plough.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread and stable across suitable wetland and grassland habitat throughout the North American interior.
Franklin's Gull: common questions
Why is Franklin's gull called the prairie dove?
This species is sometimes nicknamed the prairie dove because it breeds far from any ocean on prairie wetlands across the North American interior, a habitat and gentle flight style that sets it apart from most coastal gull species.
Why does Franklin's gull follow farm machinery?
This species readily follows farm ploughs and tractors because the turned soil exposes insects and other invertebrates, offering an easy and reliable source of food across agricultural land.
How far does Franklin's gull migrate?
This species undertakes one of the longest migrations of any gull, travelling from breeding grounds across the North American interior all the way to the Pacific coast of South America each winter.
How can you identify a breeding Franklin's gull?
This species develops a black hood during the breeding season, framed by a distinctive white eye-crescent, a combination of features that helps distinguish it from other small, dark-hooded gulls.