The Bonaparte Gull, scientifically known as the Chroicocephalus philadephia was spotted at the Salina Nature Reserve for the first time in Malta’s recorded history.

It was first noticed by the bird photographer Mario V. Gauci on the third day of 2023.

This is a very odd sighting as the bird is a Nearctic species that usually breeds from southwest Quebec to Alaska and spends its winters along the southeast and pacific coast of the USA, Cuba or Mexico.

Obviously, this is very far away from Malta and the Mediterranean, yet the bird still sparsely exists in Europe but as a vagrant, meaning a bird without a settled home.

Not only is the first gull of its kind to land in Malta but it’s also the first American bird species that Malta has seen for many years.

Facebook/Bird Life Malta