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Bonaparte's Gull (Larus philadelphia)
Above and below three: Non-breeding plumage; in Delaware waters on a December pelagic trip out of Lewes, Delaware (12/11/2005).
Below: An unexpected Bonaparte's Gull on the beach at Sandy Point SP, Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/18/2008).
Below: A Bonaparte's Gull off Assateague Island, Maryland (1/17/2009).
Below: Bonaparte's Gulls in transit past Ocean City, Maryland (11/29/2009).
Below: A Bonaparte's Gull feeding along the sea wall at Fort Smallwood, Maryland (1/3/2010).
Comments: Our smallest native gull species was named not for the French general, but for his nephew, the zoologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. This gull is a winter resident along the Atlantic Coast, where it feasts on fish, crustaceans, and other marine life. On its Canadian breeding grounds, it subsists mostly on insects, often taking them on the wing. It also nests in trees, an extremely unusual habit among gulls.