Stercorarius parasiticus
Status: Rare casual fall migrant statewide.
Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM12309, 23-24 Aug 1968 Sheridan Co (Gates 1969).
Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized.
Fall: There are seven documented records. See Comments for additional records probably this species and reported as “Jaeger sp”.
23-24 Aug 1968 immature near Hay Springs, Sheridan Co (specimen cited above)
29 Aug-2 Sep 2013 photographed near Chadron, Dawes Co, originally reported as Western Gull (Brogie 2014; eBird checklist 29 Aug 2013 – 16502 Hwy 385 – 1 species).
15 Sep 2001 light morph subadult Lake McConaughy, Keith Co (Silcock 2001)
15 Sep 2001 intermediate morph juvenile Lake McConaughy (Silcock 2001)
16 Sep 2000 juvenile Harlan Co Reservoir, Harlan Co (Silcock 2000)
22-23 Sep 2023 Harlan County Reservoir, Harlan Co (Paul Dunbar).
5 Oct 1997 juvenile Lake McConaughy (Dinsmore and Silcock 1998, Brogie 1998).
Comments: Since 2000, as observers are better able to document jaeger sightings, there have been two sightings considered likely this species: a jaeger thought to be a Parasitic flew by the observers at Fort Niobrara NWR, Cherry Co 10 Sep 2008; it was accepted by NOURC as “Jaeger sp.” (Brogie 2009). One which was distant but thought to be a dark juvenile Parasitic Jaeger was at Lake McConaughy 19 Sep 2001. See Sharpe et al (2001) for a summary of older records.
The specimen cited in Documentation was an immature bird found alive 23 Aug 1968 and initially identified as a Skua sp. (Gates 1968). It subsequently died, was collected 24 Aug, and later re-identified as a Parasitic Jaeger by James Tate at USNM (Gates 1969).
Images
Abbreviations
NOURC: Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee
UNSM: University of Nebraska State Museum
Literature Cited
Brogie, M.A. 1998. 1997 (Ninth) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 66: 147-159.
Brogie, M.A. 2009. 2008 (20th) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 77: 80-90.
Brogie, M.A. 2014. 2013 (25th) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 82: 131-146.
Dinsmore, S.J., and W.R. Silcock. 1998. Parasitic Jaeger at Lake McConaughy. NBR 66: 114-115.
Gates, D. 1968. Skua. NBR 36: 76.
Gates, D. 1969. Parasitic Jaeger, rather than Skua. NBR 37:3 1.
Sharpe, R.S., W.R. Silcock, and J.G. Jorgensen. 2001. The Birds of Nebraska: their Distribution and Temporal Occurrence. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
Silcock, W.R. 2000. Fall Field Report, August-September 2000. NBR 68: 142-176.
Silcock, W.R. 2001. Fall Field Report, August-September 2001. NBR 69: 158-189.
Recommended Citation:
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2023. Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Birds of Nebraska – Online
Updated 23 Dec 2023