Relationships among landscape composition, nesting density, chick condition, adult condition and reproductive success in Franklin’s gull (T2-4-R)

Franklin’s gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) is a long distance migrant that nests over water in large marshes of the prairie regions of North America.  Franklin’s gull is a Level I Species of Concern in North Dakota and a high priority species for the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture Waterbird Plan.  Information needs include identifying priority landscapes for nesting and staging, assessing human impacts on these priority areas, and understanding colony distribution and recruitment trends (including the effects of other gulls and predators on reproductive success of Franklin’s gull).