Common Tern, Ashley River mouth

[Oscar Thomas]

Agree with Sean’s comments, everything else says Common tern with red legs as opposed to a different species. Bill size is fine, they can have noticeably longer heavier bills than this. Could delve into subspecies discussion as the nominate hirundo Common tern can have black bills in first winter plumage according to BOTW: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species ... rance#bare

[Michael Szabo]

It's certainly worth putting in a UBR on this one - well spotted Peter.

[David Melville]

Note that this bird is in active primary moult - would be good to submit an OSNZ Moult Card. Potentially eligible to enter the 2024 OSNZ photo competition!

[phil hammond]

Apart from the fact that it would be a long way from home, why is it not a nominate sub-species Common Tern in non breeding plumage?

[Michael Szabo]

Prompted by this discussion I looked up the Common Tern plate in the Collins European Bird Guide which shows the nominate adult winter bird with a dark bill, dark carpel bar, small 'ear muffs', and red legs, so as Phil Hammond has commented on Facebook, Peter's bird looks like this.

[benackerley]

According to NZbirdsonline the subspecies nominate has not been recorded in NZ yet so would be exciting if this record is accepted as the subspecies.

[David Melville]

HANZAB lists at least two records of European-banded nominate hirundo from Australia. There is also a band recovery of a Saskatchewan-banded bird (S. h. hirundo) from the Cook Islands.

[sav]

Hi all,

I think everyone can probably calm down a bit......the leg colour of terns is notoriously variable. It would be just as unusual for a hirundo to have legs that bright at this time of year - BWP says "duller red or red/brown" for non-breeding adult.
Not much doubt in my mind that it is a Common Tern, and I can't see anything that really points at the sub-specific identity.

Just following up on David Melville's post - if it were to be a hirundo then a North American origin would make more sense than European. I had a red-billed Common Tern in Hawaii in September.

cheers

[Michael Szabo]

Here's what David Sibley's North American Bird Guide has to say about Common Tern.

[andrewcrossland]

Just adding to this conversation. Eastern Common terns do indeed have reddish legs at times. I took these photo (but can't remember the dates off the top of my head) in Sumatra in 2 different years.

breeding-plumaged Common Tern with reddish legs

Common Tern red legs.jpg (66.11 KiB) Viewed 557 times

Two views of a Common Tern with red legs amongst others with black legs.

Common red legs 3.jpg (75.37 KiB) Viewed 557 times

Common tern red legs 2.jpg (131.47 KiB) Viewed 557 times