Birds · La Saladita, Guerrero

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Spanish: Gaviota de Franklin

Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)
Photographed by stephen220 on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

Franklin's gull is a small 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. Most often recorded in May.

TaxonomyAves › Charadriiformes › Laridae
Local records2 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records15,729 on iNaturalist
Recorded here2013 – 2013
Months recorded near La Saladita
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Birds guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/leucophaeus-pipixcan/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.