Chlidonias niger surinamensis Status: Common regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Common regular breeder north and west, accidental Rainwater Basin. Uncommon summer visitor away from breeding areas.Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM12725, 21 May 1895 Lancaster Co. Taxonomy: Two subspecies are recognized: niger of central Asia, and surinamensis of Canada and North America (Gill et al 2022). […]
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
Larus fuscus graellsii Status: Uncommon regular spring and fall migrant and winter visitor statewide. Rare regular summer visitor Lake McConaughy, rare casual elsewhere. Documentation: Photograph: 28 Feb 1994 Lake McConaughy, Keith Co (Gubanyi 1996). Taxonomy: Taxonomy of this species and close congeners has been complex and controversial. We follow the recent work of Collinson et […]
RING-BILLED GULL
Larus delawarensis Status: Abundant regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Fairly common regular summer visitor statewide. Uncommon regular winter visitor statewide. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM6619, 22 Sep 1917 Lancaster Co. Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (Gill et al 2022). Pollet et al (2020) indicated that there are two breeding populations, eastern and western, that can […]
FRANKLIN’S GULL
Leucophaeus pipixcan Status: Abundant regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Accidental breeder Sandhills. Uncommon regular summer visitor statewide. Rare casual winter visitor statewide. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM12719, 22 Apr 1892 Lancaster Co. Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized. Changes since 2000: Prior to 2000 there were very few late Dec-early Feb records, but since then they […]
FORSTER’S TERN
Sterna forsteri Status: Common regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Locally common regular breeder northwest and north-central. Rare regular summer visitor statewide away from breeding locations. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM6627, 16 Jun 1902 Dewey Lake, Cherry Co. Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (Gill et al 2022). Spring: Apr 7, 8, 8 <<<>>> summer Earlier dates […]
SHORT-BILLED GULL
Larus brachyrhynchus Status: Rare regular winter visitor Lake McConaughy, rare casual elsewhere. Documentation: Photograph: 11 May 1996 Keith Co (Brogie 1997). Taxonomy: The Common Gull (L. canus) was formerly considered to comprise four subspecies: canus of Iceland and the British Isles to the White Sea; heinei of western Russia to central Siberia; kamtschatschensis of eastern […]