Feb. 11, 2018 - Bonaparte's Gull
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I saw this Bonaparte’s Gull floating near shore in the Apalachicola Bay in Eastpoint, Florida. I started taking photos of it because I wanted to get some flight shots showing their unique foraging style. Not only did I photograph it in flight, but I got a bonus as well (see the last photo.)
Bonaparte’s Gull, at 13½ inches, is the smallest regularly seen gull in North America. It is named after French zoologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a distant cousin of Napoleon. This gull has an all-white tail, gray back, mostly gray wings with black tips, and a few white wing feathers. The black spot behind the eye is typical of its non-breeding plumage. Breeding plumage is very similar, but the head changes to all black.
Unlike larger gulls, the Bonaparte’s Gull rarely eats carrion or visits garbage dumps. Also unique among gulls, it nests in coniferous trees over most of Canada. In winter, it’s found along both coasts of the United States and in the Great Lakes.
Searching for insects, crustaceans, and small fish, this gull slowly flies only two or three feet above the water. It can hover in place to get a better view below the water. Notice the pink legs dangling down.
When it spots something of interest, it plunges into the water.
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