A Day with the Bonaparte’s
Bonaparte’s Gull flock flying in front of playground equipment, 2026
Total Species Recorded: 57
“It’s always a good day when you see a Bonaparte’s Gull.”
This is what I tell my husband every time I see Bonaparte’s Gulls. I find these delicate birds absolutely adorable in their winter plumage. They are tiny white gulls, smaller than the local California Gulls, that expertly zip around the airspace above the waters with mesmerizing acrobatics. The simplicity of their winter plumage with petite black bills, dark eyes, and black ear spot on a perfectly rounded head is a relief from studying other gulls with their endlessly variable appearances.
My neighborhood park filled up with water with the recent rains, and it attracted the expected water-loving birds, such as Greater Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilts, California Gulls, and even some egrets. But what delighted me the most were the Bonaparte’s. As each day passed, their numbers grew until I counted at least 200 visiting at once!
One cloudy afternoon, I spent some time watching them from the edge of the park. They were picking off worms while swimming around the waters. Their preferred method of foraging seemed to involve swimming in the shallow lake until something caught their attention, causing them to pop straight up into the air and then dive head first into the water. They would emerge with a squirmy worm in their bills.
Bonaparte’s Gull flock foraging for worms in a shallow park pond, 2026
I took note of their plumage differences. While not as complex as other gulls, there was some variability depending on the age. The younger Bonaparte’s Gulls had pale legs, brown in their outer flight feathers, brown along the edges of their wings, and a brown line across the wings that forms a faint “M” in flight. Their tails are also dark along the end. The adults, on the other hand, have deep reddish-orange legs, gray wings, and black across the primary tips – a much cleaner look than their younger counterparts.
What struck me as unique about this experience was their calls. I had never heard them vocalize before, and here they were by the hundreds giving me ample opportunity to observe! Some of their calls sounded to me like a cross between a Mallard and a Gadwall. When later I researched their calls on All About Birds, it was described as “tern-like,” which made more sense.
Of course, this is a Big Recording Year and I knew I had to grab a recording. This proved to be difficult to achieve. Neighborhood noise from cars and lawn care were endlessly present. The wind was also a major factor, making it nearly impossible to hear the gulls in the background. I had to settle for a one-star recording. It was a good thing that I captured any recording at all, for the water would recede in the coming days and my daily visits with the dainty gulls would soon come to an end. But for now, I was happy to call it a good day having spent quality time with the Bonaparte’s Gulls.
To read more posts about this challenge, see the dedicated Bird Recording Challenge 2026 web page or click on “Bird Recording Challenge 2026” under “Tags” at the bottom of this post.
