Bonaparte's Gull
(Chroicocephalus philadelphia)

Summary

Picture of bird
© Ralph Hocken
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

The Bonaparte's Gull breeds throughout boreal Canada and Alaska, and winters along the Great Lakes and oceanic coasts south to Mexico. It is best surveyed on its wintering grounds primarily in the United States, and results suggest that the species has exhibited a large increase in abundance since about 1970, though with some regional declines. However, this assessment is considered to be low reliability because of the poor precision of the trend estimate. A lack of monitoring information from its Boreal breeding grounds complicates management, but the species' status appears secure. With such a large percentage of the world's breeding population, Canada's responsibility for the species' conservation is very high. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Listing of the main designations for the species
DesignationStatusDateSubspecies, population
IUCN (Global)Least Concern2012 
Wild Species (Canada)Secure2010 
Bird Conservation Region StrategyPriority Species2013 

Population status

Geographic areaStatusReliability
CanadaLarge IncreaseLow
 

Population estimate

CanadaNot yet available
 

Distribution maps

 

Migration strategy, occurrence

Short-distance migrant

Responsibility for conservation of world population

CanadaVery High

Conservation and management

The Bonaparte's Gull breeds throughout the northern Boreal ecozone; breeding individuals in many portions of this large and remote range may face few anthropogenic threats. Migration counts, at major autumn staging areas (e.g., the Niagara River and Quoddy Region in the Bay of Fundy), may be useful to help monitor populations of this species (Kirk et al. 2008).

 

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

  • conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
  • stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
  • management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
  • other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

BCRs, marine biogeographic units, and sub-regions in which the species is listed as a priority
RegionSub-region and priority type
Atlantic Northern ForestsAtlantic Northern Forests, sub-region and priority type: Quebec Region
Boreal Softwood ShieldBoreal Softwood Shield, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern Region
Boreal Softwood ShieldBoreal Softwood Shield, sub-region and priority type: Quebec Region
Boreal Taiga PlainsBoreal Taiga Plains, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern Region
Gulf of St. LawrenceGulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic Region - Nova Scotia
Gulf of St. LawrenceGulf of St. Lawrence, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic Region - Prince Edward Island
Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence PlainLower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain, sub-region and priority type: Ontario Region
Northwestern Interior ForestNorthwestern Interior Forest, sub-region and priority type: Pacific and Yukon Region
Prairie PotholesPrairie Potholes, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern Region
Scotian ShelfScotian Shelf, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic Region - New Brunswick
Scotian ShelfScotian Shelf, sub-region and priority type: Atlantic Region - Nova Scotia
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainsTaiga Shield and Hudson Plains, sub-region and priority type: Prairie and Northern Region
Taiga Shield and Hudson PlainsTaiga Shield and Hudson Plains, sub-region and priority type: Quebec Region
 

References