Bonaparte's gull (Larus philadelphia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Confirmed.

 

IDENTIFICATION

• Length: 11 inches Wingspan: 32 inches

• Small, tern-like gull

• Short, thin, black bill

• Adult plumage reached in second year

Adult alternate:

• Black head

• Very narrow white crescents above and below eye

• White neck, breast, belly, and tail

• Pale gray back and upperwings

• Pale scapular crescent and tertial crescent

• White wedge on outer primaries

• Black tips to primaries creates black trailing edge to primaries and             black wingtips at rest

• Pale underwing and underside of primaries

Adult basic:

• Like adult alternate except lacks black hood and instead has black spot           on ear coverts

Juvenile/First year:

• Juvenile strongly washed with brown which fades rapidly with wear

• Head and body like adult basic

• White tail with black terminal band

• Pale gray upperwing marked by dark carpal bar, dark trailing edge and      slight white wedge in outer primaries

Similar species:

Adult little gulls have no black on the uppersurface of the wings and have
wholly dark underwings. First-year little gulls are easily distinguished by
the pale trailing edge to the wing, but also have wider, bolder carpal bars.
Black-headed gulls are superficially similar but have pale bills in all
plumages and dark undersufaces to the primaries. Laughing and Franklin's
gulls both have much darker gray backs, never show similar wing patterns
and have much thicker, more robust bills.

 

LIFE HISTORY

Migration Status:N/A
Breeding Habitat:N/A
Nest Location:N/A
Nest Type:N/A
Clutch Size:3
Length of Incubation: 24 days
Days to Fledge:?
Number of Broods:1?
Diet: Mostly aquatic invertebrates; lesser quantities of fish

 

SKY MEADOWS DISTRIBUTION/SEASONAL OCCURRENCE

 

Relative abundance and seasonal occurrence are indicated in red below.

Relative abundance
     C - Common: Likely to be present in good numbers in appropriate habitat and season.
     U - Uncommon: May be present in appropriate habitat and season, often in low
            numbers.
     O - Occassional: Found in appropriate habitat perhaps only a few times per season,
            sometimes low numbers.
     R - Rare: May not be recorded every year.
     Acc - Accidental: Recorded once or twice, may not be expected again for a long time.

 

Seasonal Occurrence
      Sp - Spring: March, April, May Acc
      Su - Summer: June, July, August
      Fall: September, October, November

      Winter: December, January, February

 

 

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