Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans), Lakeside Park, Apache County

This Elegant Tern was reported by Sharon Goldwasser on 24 May 2021 and photographed by Laurens Halsey on 27 May 2021

Elegant Tern is a very rare (but increasing) wanderer to southern Arizona from the Gulf of California in the spring and early summer.

May 2021 saw an exceptional number of well documented reports of this species in the southern half of the state. Most sightings of this species in Arizona are preceded by strong southwest winds originating in the northern Gulf of California.

Elegant Tern is a large tern with a shaggy black crest in alternate plumage, black legs, and a long, thin, and slightly drooping orange bill that pales to yellowish distally.

27 May 2021, photo by Laurens Halsey

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