A second-summer type Common Tern present at Cupsogue, just east of Moriches Inlet, last weekend (25-26 June) resembled the Siberian subspecies of Common Tern (Sterna hirundo longipennis):
Bill black, with a slight red tinge Legs dark reddish-black Ventral body deeply gray, especially for a second-summer type individual Wings appeared relatively long both at rest and in flight Its wingtip pattern also differed from the typical summer pattern of local Common Terns in that all the primaries (except perhaps p10) appeared uniformly fresh and pale, but it is not very unusual for non-adults to vary in this regard. In my experience, however, it is extremely rare to see such dark legs on any early summer Common Tern (even first summer birds), and it is also extremely rare to see an all-dark bill in combination with deeply gray underparts, at least prior to very late summer. Photos of this bird can be seen at: https://picasaweb.google.com/tixbirdz/PossibleSiberianCommonTernSHLongipennisOnLongIslandNY Some representative photos of second-summer type Common Terns can be seen at: https://picasaweb.google.com/tixbirdz/CommonTernsOnLongIsland# I've never seen longipennis in its core range and am unfamiliar with how to assess other published characters, such as its whiter inner rectrices and subtly different tertials, but the photos might help here (even its second-to-outermost rectrices appeared less extensively dark in the field than in many local Common Terns). Longipennis is said to have a shorter bill than hirundo, but this bird's bill looked pretty similar in size to those of local birds. I'm calling this bird a second-summer type because its forehead and its gray underbody were mottled to varying degrees with white. I first noticed it on Saturday but I was not able to get good photos. It was present again on Sunday and studied by at least 19 observers. Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________ Change is in the Air - Smoking in Designated Areas Only as of July 1, 2011<http://www.csi.cuny.edu/tobaccofree> -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
