[WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD]

Phaethon lepturus

Status:  No accepted records.

Taxonomy: There are six subspecies recognized in tropical oceans (Gill et al 2022).

Comments: One reported flying along the South Platte River in Lincoln Co 13-14 May 1973 (Cortelyou 1973a) was later suggested to be a tern trailing a fishing line (Cortelyou 1973b). The report was considered inconclusive by Bray et al (1986).

There are no records of this species any closer to Nebraska than Atlantic Coast and nearby states (eBird.org, accessed 2023), although one was found on the Texas Gulf Coast 3 Jul 2010, rehabilitated, and released 10 Jul (eBird.org, accessed Oct 2023). There are only three records for the Gulf of Mexico (eBird.org, accessed Oct 2023).

Literature Cited

Bray, T.E., B.K. Padelford, and W.R. Silcock. 1986. The birds of Nebraska: A critically evaluated list. Published by the authors, Bellevue, Nebraska, USA.

Cortelyou, R.G. 1973a. 1973 (Forty-eighth) Spring Migration and Occurrence Report. NBR 41: 46-65.

Cortelyou. R.G. 1973b. More on the “White-tailed Tropicbird”. NBR 41: 79-80.

Gill, F., D. Donsker, and P. Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2.  http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.

Recommended Citation

Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen.  2023.  White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org

Birds of Nebraska – Online

Updated 19 Oct 2023