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Details
{IORC approved documentation/photos, article published in 'Meadowlark, A Journal of Illinois Bird'.}
On 30 May 1997, I sauntered out to the south end of Waukegan Beach to try my luck at finding an Arctic Tern. This was my fourth attempt here in May for this particular species, but I felt this day was my best chance due to the late spring date and east winds which could push any potential rarities onto the beach area. While scanning the gull and Common Tern flocks, my attention was quickly lost on a group of Forster’s Terns present on the beach. “Boy, this is a large flock for such a late date”, I remember thinking. So count them I did, focusing so strongly on the task at hand that when I came across a different looking tern, I passed it by for fear of losing track of the count I was making. About fifteen seconds later, while still counting the Forster’s flock, thoughts trickled into my mind like, “didn’t that tern have an all black bill?” and “didn’t it stand out as being really different?”. My curiosity aroused and now with emotions heightened, I forgot my Forster’s count and quickly turned back to this mystery tern.
Its black head, nape, bill and legs were immediately noticed. Its bill also looked strange - it looked like it had the thickness of at least two bills. The bird’s back was noticeably paler, at least a shade lighter than the nearby Common and Forster’s Terns. Among terns in breeding plumage, there is only one in the world with a very thick, all black bill, black legs and a very pale back. I had discovered a Gull-billed Tern (Sterna Nilotica)!
Naturally, I raced back to my car, got my camera and quickly shot a roll of film. After this I had the chance to notice a few other details. Its underparts were white without any markings. The bird appeared stocky and this along with its long legs, gave the impression of a much larger bird despite it being same overall length as the ‘Sterna’ terns present. The short, slightly forked tail was best seen when the bird was flying. While perched on the beach, I observed its tail length was comparably smaller than the other terns nearby. In flight, the bird appeared heavier-looking, wider-winged and with a slower wing beat. More of the genre of a Caspian Tern rather than a ‘sterna’ tern. I did hear it give its call a few times and while not familiar with this species call notes, it did sound different in comparison to the Common or Forster’s which were calling.
This was Illinois’ first confirmed record of a Gull-billed Tern and the first confirmed North American Spring record of this species inland (more than 150 miles from known ocean/sea locations).
This tern is not known to venture inland very far. More than 100 miles from the coastline or California’s Salton Sea it is considered a vagrant. Between 100-200 miles from these sites there are records from only three locations: southern Arizona (DeSante & Pyle 1986), eastern Pennsylvania and northern Mississippi (American Birds 1987-93 & Field Notes 1994-97). Obviously, a report of this tern comes under much scrutiny due to its lack of inland wandering.
The eastern Great Lakes, being much closer to the coastline, would appear to offer the best potential to host this tern someday. One spring sighting by three independent observers from Lake Erie at Long Point, Ontario on 22 May 1985 (American Birds 39:266) did not show up in the ‘Annotated Checklist of Ontario birds’ (1991), so it appears to have been rejected, perhaps due to lack of precedence. Even the three past reports from Illinois are all considered hypothetical (Bohlen 1989).
The first Illinois report was from Chicago’s Lake Calumet on 15 & 26 August 1959, but others who later saw the bird from a distance of 100+ yards could not confirm the bird (fide Robert Russell). The second record was from Wilmette’s Gillson Park on 10 & 15 August 1960. This is the most intriguing report of the three in so much as it was seen flying overhead and came close to the pier on a number of passes during a span of about five minutes (fide Robert Russell). Apparently, no notes were taken of this sighting which leaves the Illinois Ornithological Records Committee wondering if similar species were eliminated. The last report, 13 August 1967, from Waukegan Beach was a brief flyby observation. One observer from that sighting discounts his personal observation as being valid anymore (fide Kim Eckert) .
In the Fall, there are other tern species having similarities to Gull-billeds that need to be considered. First summer plumages of Black and Least Terns have dark bill and legs and are pale above. Many adult Forster’s Terns have acquired their winter plumage by mid-August and have a fairly thick, dark bill as well as looking very pale in flight. Its legs might pass for being dark in weak lighting, but more than likely wouldn’t even be noticed while the tern was in flight. During August, these three species need to be eliminated in a documentation due to the similarities they can share with a Gull-billed Tern.
The only confirmed inland North American records more than 200 miles from known Gull-billed Tern locations are three early Fall reports from Indiana (fide Ken Brock) & now Illinois’ Spring record. The first record was photographed from the Falls of the Ohio (on the Indiana/Kentucky border) on 27 August 1994. The second confirmed record was seen in a company of 1500 Common Terns at Miller Beach (on Lake Michigan) on 31 August 1995. The third record was photographed just weeks later at Lake Monroe (sw. Indiana) on 10 September 1995. The fourth record is this Waukegan Beach record.
Since there are no other accepted North American records this far inland and due to four confirmed sightings in the short span of under three years from fairly close locations, one can offer the opinion that all these observations represent the same individual. Gull-billed Terns can live many years; one was found to be nearly fourteen years old (Parnell et alla, 1995). Since the age at first breeding is at least five years old (Parnell et alla, 1995), conceivably this bird is still a non breeding adult and thus, not having to defend a breeding territory, would become more prone to wandering. Perhaps initially helped by a summer hurricane, this bird found its way to the Lake Michigan region whereupon it has continued to return to the same general area each year.
When a Sandwich Tern visited this same Waukegan Beach in 1989, it was suspected that all seven records of this species recorded throughout the Great Lakes region during 1986-89 were of the same individual (Binford 1993). The same scenario could be repeating itself with this Gull-billed Tern. All four sightings ranging between 1994-97 in Illinois/Indiana as well as its unprecedented inland presence in North America suggests this is the same bird wandering throughout this region. If so, then the possibility of other Lake Michigan sightings in the near future wouldn’t be so surprising.
Literature Cited:
‘The Changing Seasons’ (all regions). 1987-93. American Birds. Volumes 40-47. National Audubon Society.
Binford, Laurence C. 1993. ‘First Illinois Record of the Sandwich Tern’. Meadowlark 2:13.
Bohlen, H.D. 1989. The Birds of Illinois. Indiana University Press. p. 91.
DeSante, D., & P. Pyle. 1986. Distributional Checklist of North American Birds. Artemisia Press. Lee Vining, California.
‘The Changing Seasons’ (all regions). 1994-97. Field Notes. Volumes 48-51. National Audubon Society.
Parnell, J.F., R.M. Erwin, & K.C. Molina. 1995. Gull-billed Tern (Sterna Nilotica). The Birds of North America, #140. Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences.