Bonaparte's Gull

Identification: Immature Plumage- A small dainty gull, note the small slender black bill, the blackish ear spot, the
dark carpal bar running along the wing, the black wingtips, light gray mantle and the white body.

Transitional/Breeding plumage- Note the almost full black hood in the 2nd image and also appreciate how small a gull this is in respect to the immature Ring-billed Gull it is adjacent to. The slender black bill, pale gray mantle and white underparts are on display.

1st winter plumage- Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, Hyde County, North Carolina

Transitional plumage (almost full breeding) Bonaparte's (left); Immature Ring-bill Gull (right), Charles City County, Virginia