[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Blake Mathys on 17:34:16 06/29/04
Okay, I agree with John Boyd, Rock Jetty, et al. that the terns I digiscoped were Roseates. I now have some questions. There are obviously differences between the bird that I originally called Forster's and the one (on the beach, with the bands) I called a Roseate. The amount of red on the base of the bill is minimal on the latter, much more extensive on the former. What is the reason for this? The less red seems to be what Sibley shows, while the birds with more red seems to resemble the Roseate Tern as illustrated in "A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies" (Raffaele, Wiley, Garrido, Keith, Raffaele; 1998). It also says "Roseate Terns in the Caribbean have much more red in the bill than individuals from North America." (pg. 291) Are the birds with more extensive red "Caribbean" Roseates and the other a "North American" Roseate? Or is it simply variation among "non-Caribbean" Roseates? I'm confused. The URL for those pics is http://squatchunter.tripod.com/terns.html if anyone wants to take another look.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]