Sternula antillarum athalassos Status: Fairly common regular spring and fall migrant central and east, rare west. Locally fairly common regular breeder east and central. State listed as Endangered. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM6222, 4 Aug 1902 Badger, Holt Co. Taxonomy: Three subspecies are currently recognized (Gill et al 2020), although these are weakly differentiated (Pyle 2008); […]
PACIFIC LOON
Gavia pacifica Status: Rare regular fall migrant statewide. Rare casual spring migrant statewide. Rare casual summer visitor statewide. Rare casual winter visitor Lake McConaughy, Keith Co. Documentation: Photograph: 9-16 Nov 1971 Sarpy Co (Bray et al 1986). Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (Gill et al 2022). Pacific Loon was formerly considered a North American subspecies […]
BLACK TERN
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 […]