Bird Guide

Franklin's Gull vs Grey Gull

Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

280 gCoastal

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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: tcantrell52 · CC BY 4.0
Grey Gull (Leucophaeus modestus)

Grey Gull

Leucophaeus modestus

Medium380 gDesert

The sexes are similar in grey gulls. Adults grow to a length of about 45 cm (18 in) and weigh some 360 to 400 g (13 to 14 oz). The head is white in summer but brownish-grey in winter. The body and wings are grey with the dorsal surface rather darker than the ventral region. The flight feathers are black and the inner primaries and the secondaries have white tips, visible in flight. The tail has a band of black with a white trailing edge. The legs and beak are black and the iris is brown. The call is similar to that of the laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Franklin's Gull and Grey Gull.