Franklin Gull
Bear River MBR, UT
Jul. 2015

The first time I encountered a Franklin’s Gull, my first thought was: Laughing Gull. Coming from the east coast, these two species are strikingly similar. Both species are a grey and white gull, with black heads, white eye-rings and red beaks. Juveniles have dark beaks.

Despite their lack of range overlap (some noted exceptions: FRGU migrants on the coasts and LAGU at the Salton Sea of California), some of the differences outlined by my several guides include:

• White bar and tips on the wing. The Laughing gull simply has black tips.
• Pale gray central tail feathers, which are not shown in the picture above.
• My guidebooks also make the distinction that the Franklin’s gull’s white eye ring is more pronounced and more complete around the eye. If you would like to compare it against my photos of the Laughing Gulls, click here.