Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusChroicocephalus (Masked Gulls and allies)
- SpeciesChroicocephalus philadelphia (Bonaparte's Gull)
About the Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) is a gull found mainly in northern North America. At 28 to 38 cm (11 to 15 in) 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.
When George Ord first described Bonaparte's gull in 1815, he gave it the scientific name Sterna philadelphia, and the English name 'Banded-tail Tern'; the description clearly identifies it as a bird in first-winter plumage, while "The slender and tern-like form of the bill probably induced Mr. Ord to put it in Sterna". Most later taxonomists assigned it to the genus Larus, a longtime catch-all for most of the gull species. However, in 1858, George Newbold Lawrence moved the species to the genus Chroicocephalus, and some taxonomists followed suit. Subsequent molecular DNA studies have shown that this species fits neatly into a clade with other Chroicocephalus "hooded" gulls, and that it is in a close-to-basal position in that grouping. Based on these studies, the American Ornithologists' Union, which had previously assigned the... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Bonaparte's Gull in Banff National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Banff National Park
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
California Gull
Larus californicus
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Franklin's Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Short-billed Gull
Larus brachyrhynchus
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Ancient Murrelet
Synthliboramphus antiquus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Wood Buffalo National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 12 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 16 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Isla del Coco National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 18 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 20 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 22 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Bonaparte's Gull in Banff National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bonaparte's Gull sighting in Banff National Park, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Bonaparte's Gull in Banff National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Bonaparte's Gull in Banff National Park in our monthly data.