Species BirdsBonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

CommonBird
Illustration of Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)

Bonaparte's Gull is the most tern-like of North American gulls, with buoyant flight and a delicate appearance. Named for the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte, it nests in boreal spruce forests — the only North American gull that regularly nests in trees. Breeding birds have a neat black hood. It often gathers in enormous concentrations at Niagara Falls and other river outlets.

Habitat
Boreal forests when breeding; coastal bays, rivers, and lakes in migration and winter
Diet
Fish, invertebrates, and insects plucked from the water surface
How common
Common

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