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Caspian vs. Royal Tern



This is a question I have been meaning to ask on this list for more than a
week now. Last week I wnet down to Fort Fisher and came upon a mixed flock
of Terns on the spit. THere were Royals, Sandwiches and Forster's all
resting and preening together. In this flock was one tern that looked very
much like a Royal but had a definitely red (and not orangish) bill. It
held itself just a little apart from the other Royals. Now I know that
Caspians have a reddish rather than orangish bill and on this point this
tern would have been a Caspian. However, its bill was not any the thicker
than that of the dozen or so Royals sitting next to it. Nor was the tern
itself any larger than the Royals. None of the other Royal terns showed
any variation in the bill color--they all had the orangish bill that they
are supposed to have according to the guide books.

So, my question is is there much bill color variation in Royal terns, with
some of them inclined towards red rather than orange. Or is the red such a
definite diagnosic mark that its presence (despite no size difference)
would clinch this as a Caspian.


THe second question is regardng Sandwich vs. Gull Billed Tern. Yes, I know
that Gull Billed Terns have a shorter and thicker bill; however, when one
sees a lone tern with nothing to compare it to it is difficult to decide
if the bill is thick enough or not and I have now several times decided
that a tern was Gull billed only to then finally see the little yellow tip
as it turns and catches the light. So is there any other clue besides the
lenght and thicknessof the bill. If, for example, one sees a Gull
Billed/Sandwich Tern over the ocean can one definitly rule out the GUll
Billed since they are supposed to feed on mudflats and grassy fields?

Any thoughts woudl be greatly appreciated.

Shantanu Phukan

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SHANTANU PHUKAN
Lecturer in Urdu-Hindi & Indian Literature
University of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill
Curriculum in Asian Studies
Alumni Hall 413C
Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599

phukan@email.unc.edu
919-962-6825
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