Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) | Photos, Calls and ID

LCLeast ConcernOmnivore

WetlandMedium · 203 g

Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia), photo 3 — Photo: Mike Brady · CC BY 4.0

What the Bonaparte's Gull sounds like

Sonogram of the Bonaparte's Gull: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by steve · Call · Petersburg, Petersburg Borough, Alaska, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

Bonaparte's gull is among the smallest of the gull species; only little gull and Saunders's gull are smaller. Adults range from 28 to 38 cm (11 to 15 in) in length, with a wingspan of 76–84 cm (30–33 in) and a weight of 180–225 g (6.3–7.9 oz). There is no difference in plumage or bare part colour between the sexes, though males tend to be heavier than females. Bonaparte's gull is smaller-bodied, smaller-headed, and smaller-billed than the other common hooded gulls of North America. Voice: Bonaparte's gull has a voice described as nasal and raspy, with calls variously transcribed as cherr or cheeer.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Bonaparte's Gull

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 10 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Bonaparte's Gull

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 24 countries with regular records, and 11 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Belgium, France, Chile, Panama, Netherlands, Germany, Guatemala, Antigua & Barbuda, Ecuador, Martinique, Morocco.

About the Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's gull is a gull found mainly in northern North America. At 28 to 38 cm in length, it is one of the smallest species of gull. Its plumage is mainly white with grey upperparts. During breeding season, Bonaparte's gull gains a slaty-black hood. The sexes are similar in appearance.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Silver GullChroicocephalus novaehollandiaeThe silver gull is a gull in Oceania.

Brown-hooded GullChroicocephalus maculipennisAdults in the breeding season have a dark brown head and throat with a white semicircle around the posterior of the eye, while the neck, chest and abdomen are white.

Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus geneiThis species is 37 to 40 cm (14.6 to 15.7 in) long with a 90 to 102 cm (35.4 to 40.2 in) wingspan.

Side by side: Black-headed Gull vs Bonaparte's Gull · Bonaparte's Gull vs Brown-hooded Gull · Bonaparte's Gull vs Slender-billed Gull

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