So Why Is Chroicocephalus philadelphia called Bonaparte’s Gull?

Bonaparte’s Gull is the subject of this week’s Bird Finder, written by Nick Bonomo. But how did it get its name?

“Bonaparte, Charles Lucien Laurent, Prince of Canino and Musignano (1803-1857). Naturalist. He was one of eleven children of Lucien, a younger brother of Napolean. His wife Zenaida … was the daughter of Joseph, Napolean’s older brother. With the decline in the family fortunes after Waterloo, Charles, Zenaida, and uncle, father-in-law, Joseph, came to America, where they lived in Bordentown, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here the first of the couple’s eight children was born. While residing in the United States from 1822 until 1828, he re-edited a volume with the longest title in American ornithology even without appending the full names of the author, American Ornithology, or History of Birds Inhabiting the United States Not Given by Wilson. He is considered to be the father of systematic ornithology in America. His name is commemorated in Bonaparte’s Gull.” — The Dictionary of American Bird Names, by Ernest A. Choate.

Bonaparte named the genus Zenaida (Mourning Dove and White-winged Dove) after his wife.

There’s more here. He was a fascinating figure.

Photo: “Bonaparte Charles Lucien 1803-1857.” Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons