Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

 

Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)

Bonaraprte's Gull [basic-plumaged adult flying]. Photograph Credit: David L. Roemer; near Barren River Reservoir dam, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky; 24 January 2012.

– 

Abundance: Fairly Common during late fall, winter, and early spring; recorded in 19 counties, 8 in Kentucky and 11 in Tennessee (Map of UCR Distribution); data from Regional bird-monitoring projects are limited, so the trend for the wintering population is somewhat uncertain but probably stable (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Winter Resident; photograph [juvenile flying] (David L. Roemer; near dam on Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky; 23 January 2012); photograph [lateral view of first-cycle individual swimming] (David L. Roemer; Peter's Creek, Barren River Reservoir, Barren County, Kentucky; 3 December 2010).

Regional High Count: 2000 (26 December 2011; Mason's Island [gull roost], Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky; David L. Roemer); CBC/CBB High Count: 435 (29 December 2006; Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky [Glasgow CBC]; m. ob.); SBC/SBB High Count: 1 (8 May 2004; Pulaski County, Kentucky [SBC]; fide Roseanna M. Denton); FBC/FBB High Count: no data.

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Fall: x (

    Late Spring: x (

Note: Fall arrival usually widespread by 1 November; spring departure usually largely complete by 15 April; Regional dates of earliest reported fall arrival and latest reported spring departure during winters from 20022003 to 20112012 follow:

Winter of... Early Fall Arrival Date Late Spring Departure Date
20022003 22 September 13 April
20032004 6 November 8 May
20042005 1 November 12 April
20052006 25 October 19 April
20062007 22 October 14 April
20072008 24 October 11 April
20082009 29 October 15 April
20092010 24 October 5 April
20102011 -- 10 April
20112012 20 October

Habitat: Open water of various sizes.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

RemarksThis gull uses some parts of the large lakes of the Region as spring migration staging areas during early to mid-April, when hundreds congregate in a few chosen areas, including the Floating Mill Recreation Area, Center Hill Lake, DeKalb County, Tennessee, and the embayment of Illwill Creek, Dale Hollow Lake, Clinton County, Kentucky. These staging areas may be involved in mate selection and/or pair bonding during the northward migration.

    This gull is a component of most gull roosts that develop during the winter months in the Region and is the second-most abundant gull species in most such roosts; see the species account for Ring-billed Gull for a fuller discussion of gull roosts.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Barren Metcalfe Adair Russell Pulaski
Monroe Cumberland Clinton Wayne McCreary
Macon Clay Pickett Fentress Scott
Smith Jackson Overton Putnam Morgan
DeKalb White Cumberland
Warren Van Buren Bledsoe

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Burgess Falls SP, Putnam/White Counties, TN Barren River Lake SP, Barren County, KY
Cumberland Mountain SP, Cumberland County, TN General Burnside Island SP, Pulaski County, KY
Edgar Evins SP, DeKalb County, TN  
Fall Creek Falls SP, Bledsoe/Van Buren Counties, TN Pulaski County Park, Pulaski County, KY
Frozen Head SNA, Morgan County, TN Waitsboro Recreation Area, Pulaski County, KY
Rock Island SP, Warren/White Counties, TN  
Standing Stone SP, Overton County, TN Big South Fork NRRA, KY and TN
   
Cane Creek Park, Putnam County, TN  
Roaring River Recreation Area, Jackson County, TN  

Literature Cited