| A short-legged 'mystery tern' among 33 Common Terns (S. hirundo)
at Columbus Bay, Trinidad, 23 June 2002. Photos © by Floyd Hayes. Found
by Floyd Hayes, Nigel Hacking, Nigel Lallsingh, and Keisha Lallsingh,
this bird was momentarily thought to be Trinidad and Tobago's first
Arctic Tern (S. paradisaea),
which is shorter-legged than Common Tern, but closer inspection
revealed no differences in bill size, plumage, or wing-tail proportions;
furthermore, something was wrong with the legs...well, the last photo
clinches its identity. If you are stumped (hint), click here for further comments.
|