GULLS - in Belize

Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull - Small, pale gull with white underparts and gray back. Thin, black bill. Often seen in flight. Note unique wing pattern: several outer primaries white with black tips. Red legs. Adults in breeding plumage show black head. Nonbreeding and immatures have white head with black spot behind eye. Immatures also show white primaries with blackish-brown markings on the upperwing. Often seen in large flocks in coastal areas, bays, coves, and lakes during migration and winter. Feeds on small fish, invertebrates, and insects, often picking them off the surface in flight. Breeds near water in the boreal forest; the only gull that makes a stick nest.
BELIZE HABITAT - Coastal waters, especially near harbors; estuaries; lagoons.
Where can I find this bird in Belize?
Regular and irregular winter visitor in north, late December to early June.  Recorded from Ambergris Caye, Belize City, Crooked Tree Belize, and Hill Bank in Orange Walk.
INTERESTING FACTS

• Bonaparte's Gulls gather in large flocks that are worth a careful look—sometimes a rarer species is mixed in, such as a Little Gull, Black-headed gull, or very rarely a Ross’s Gull.
• The Bonaparte's Gull is the only gull species that regularly nests in trees.
• The common name of the Bonaparte’s Gull honors Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a cousin of Napoleon Bonaparte who made important contributions to American ornithology while an active member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia during the 1820s. The scientific name philadelphia was given in 1815 by the describer of the species, George Ord of Philadelphia, presumably because he collected his specimen there.
• During the breeding season, the Bonaparte's Gull feeds mainly on insects, often catching them on the wing.

Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull - Medium-sized gull, mostly seen inland in North America, but winters offshore in South America. Breeds around lakes and marshes, commonly seen in fields or beaches during migration. Breeding plumage shows black head with bold white eye-arcs, small red bill, and prominent white spots on black wingtips. Nonbreeding similar but with partial black hood and dark bill. Young birds show more brown tones than adults. White underparts are often tinged pink. Usually seen in flocks. Most similar to Laughing Gull; where range overlaps, look for shorter bill, limited black in the wings, and white wingtips.
BELIZE HABITAT - Coastal waters along and near beaches, estuaries, lagoons, shrimp farms.
Where can I find this bird in Belize?
Occasionally spring and autumn transient along coast (including Ambergris Caye), late March to late May and mid-October to early December.

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Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull - Common black-hooded gull of beaches and other coastal areas in summer; found from East Coast of U.S. south to Mexico and northern South America. In winter they retreat from northern parts of their range and head becomes white with gray smudging. Darker gray above than other gulls of similar size. Bill is dark red in summer and black in winter. Sticks to coastal areas, rarely venturing far inland.
BELIZE HABITAT - Coastal areas, cayes, and offshore, occasionally in migration at inland lagoons.
Where can I find this bird in Belize?
Common winter visitor along coast and offshore; locally common in summer.  Despite the relatively large number that remain through summer around Belize City, Dangriga, and populated cayes, nesting colones in Belize are few and small, with nesting documented on only a few small cayes off Toledo and south of Stan Creek District.  Inland, see regularly at Crooked Tree Belize and New River, Orange Walk in Spring.
INTERESTING FACTS

• The male and female Laughing Gull usually build their nest together. If a male cannot find a mate, he may start building a nest platform and then use it to attract a female.
• The Laughing Gull is normally diurnal, or active during the day. During the breeding season it forages at night as well. It usually looks for food along the beach at night, but will also hover to catch insects around lights.
• The adult Laughing Gull removes the eggshells from the nest after the eggs hatch. If the shells are not removed, a piece can become lodged on top of the slightly smaller unhatched third egg and prevent it from hatching.
• Nest colonies in the northeastern United States were nearly eliminated by egg and plume hunters in the late 19th century. Populations have increased over the last century, following protection.
• The oldest known Laughing Gull was at least 22 years old when it was killed in Maine in 2009, the same state where it had been banded in 1987.

Ring-Billed Gull

Ring Billed Gull

Ring Billed Gull - Widespread and common inland gull in the U.S. and Canada. Forages along lakes, rivers, and ponds, as well as, plowed fields, mall parking lots, and parks. Often in flocks sitting on ground or flying between roosting and foraging sites. Smaller and more slender than Herring Gull with thinner bill. Compared with California Gull, adults are lighter gray on back, thinner billed, and lack red spot on bill.
BELIZE HABITAT - Beaches, harbors, lagoons.
Where can I find this bird in Belize?
Very uncommon winter visitor south of Ambergris Caye and Belize City, occasionally to Punta Gorda, mid-August to mid-April.  Recorded once inland at Crooked Tree Belize.

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Herring Gull

Great Black-Backed Gull

Herring Gull

Herring Gull - Widespread and often common inland and on the coast. Adults have gray back with black wingtips. Takes four years for immatures to progress from mostly brown to white and gray; intermediate plumages are often mottled and messy. Varies incrementally across a wide geographic range. Scavenges shorelines, mudflats, plowed fields, and open ocean, picking up scraps wherever it can. Often congregates in large groups with other gulls, especially around fishing boats, beaches, piers, and landfills. Far-carrying yelping screams are a common sound of waterside habitats around the world.
BELIZE HABITAT - Harbors, beaches.
Where can I find this bird in Belize?
Uncommon winter visitor along coast south occasionally to Punta Gorda; mid-October to late April.  Recorded once inland at Hill Bank Orange Walk.
INTERESTING FACTS

• The Herring Gull has extended its breeding range southward along the Atlantic Coast, and may be displacing the more southern Laughing Gull from some areas. At the northern end of its range, however, the Herring Gull is itself being displaced by increasing numbers of the Great Black-backed Gull.
• Breeding brings special dietary challenges for Herring Gulls. During courtship, males feed their mates, losing fat reserves in the process. Then egg-laying reduces the females’ protein and bone calcium, and they seek out marine invertebrates and fish to replenish stores. After chicks hatch, both parents feed them day and night for up to 12 weeks, splitting foraging shifts to offer each chick up to half a pound of food per day as it nears fledging.
• Sibling rivalry is a problem in the bird world, too. The third chick in a Herring Gull clutch can have it especially tough. While the first two chicks hatch the same day, the third is born a day or two later, weighs less, gets less food, and grows more slowly.
• Incubating Herring Gulls often pant to cool off. They orient their bodies to keep darker plumage out of direct sun as best they can, but short of dipping their feet and legs into water, their mouth lining is their best means of shedding heat.
• An adult Herring Gull was spotted bait-fishing. It floated bits of bread on the surface of a Paris pond and attacked goldfish feeding on the bread. It ate none of the bread itself, indicating deliberate tool use.
• Herring Gulls are one of the most familiar gulls of the East Coast and many people just call them “seagulls.” In fact, some two dozen different species of gulls live in North America, and they present almost endless opportunities for identification.
• Herring Gulls prefer drinking freshwater, but they'll drink seawater when they must. Special glands located over the eyes allow them to excrete the salt that would otherwise dehydrate most animals, including us. The salty excretion can be seen dripping out of their nostrils and off the ends of their bills.
• Young Herring Gulls appear to be more migratory than adults. In some areas, such as the Great Lakes, most adults remain near their breeding grounds, but the nonbreeders move father south in the fall.
• The oldest recorded Herring Gull was at least 29 years, 3 months old when it was seen in the wild in Michigan in 2015 and identified by its band. It had been banded in Wisconsin in 1986.

Great Black Backed Gull

Great Black Backed Gull - Largest gull in the world. Adults have dark black backs that contrast with their white body feathers. Thick bill and large size help separate immatures from other gulls. Also, note whiter head and colder black-and-white tones than immature Herring Gull. Found primarily at coastal sites in the Northeast U.S., the Great Lakes, and Europe. Hardy and fierce, it patrols open water and beaches for prey and scavenging opportunities.
BELIZE HABITAT - Coastal beaches, harbors.
Where can I find this bird in Belize?
In and around Belize City harbor, coastal areas.