It is one of the smallest gulls in the world—barely larger than a pigeon—and it carries itself with a delicate, bouncy grace that is completely different from the heavy-set, “seagull” look we are used to. During the summer, they sport a charcoal-black hood that makes their white eye crescents pop, but what technically sets them apart from other black-headed gulls is their wing pattern. In flight, the front edge of their wings features a bright white “wedge” or “flash” that makes them look remarkably like they are glowing from the front.
What truly makes the Bonaparte’s gull a “misfit” in its family is its choice of real estate. While almost every other gull on the planet nests on the ground (usually on rocky cliffs or islands), the Bonaparte’s Gull is a tree-nester. They head deep into the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska, where they build tidy stick nests on the branches of spruce or fir trees, often 6 meters (20 feet) above the ground. This unique behavior is a brilliant survival strategy, keeping their eggs and chicks far away from ground predators like foxes or minks.
In terms of personality, these birds are much more “polite” than their larger cousins. You won’t find a Bonaparte’s gull screaming for your fries at the beach; instead, they are high-speed insect hunters. They fly low over lakes and rivers, performing acrobatic mid-air maneuvers to snatch dragonflies and gnats right out of the sky. They also have a very “humanized” way of feeding on the water: they use a “hover-dipping” technique, where they hang in the air and daintily pluck prey from the surface without ever getting their bellies wet.
Distribution
Antigua & Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Bermuda
Canada
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Czechia
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic
France
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Haiti
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Japan
Martinique
Mexico
Montserrat
Morocco
Netherlands
Norway
Panama
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Saint Lucia
Saint Pierre
Saint Vincent
Spain
St. Kitts & Nevis
Sweden
Turks & Caicos
United Kingdom
United StatesAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Flock
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
