The Birds of 
North America


From Grouse to Anhinga


Part 1 of a List 
and Photo Gallery
of North American Birds
compiled by Armas Hill







Noting birds found during Focus On Nature Tours in Alaska, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Nebraska, Newfoundland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, Washington State, & Wyoming, including offshore pelagic trips  

Birds found during FONT tours & pelagic trips in North America, north of the Rio Grande, have an (*).   

PHOTO AT UPPER RIGHT: drake HARLEQUINS 
(photo by Howard Eskin)


CODES:

In the list that follows, birds found during FONT tours are noted, indicating the US state or Canadian province & the months when found. 

(The codes below relate to the United States unless indicated otherwise.) 

AK:    Alaska
AZ:    Arizona
BC:    British Columbia, Canada (until 2001, during our West Coast Tours in September) 
CA:    California  (during our September West Coast Tours)
CO:    Colorado
DE:    Delaware (including offshore pelagic trips from DE and Delmarva land-birding and nature tours) 
FL:    Florida
IA:     Iowa  (with our Nebraska Tours in March)
KS:    Kansas  (with our Colorado Tours in April)
MD:   Maryland  (Delmarva tours)
NC:    North Carolina  (including offshore pelagic trips and spring and summer land-birding tours)
NE:    Nebraska  (tours in March & with our Colorado tours in April) 
NF:    Newfoundland, Canada
NM:   New Mexico  (with our West Texas Tours in the spring and our Arizona Tours in the late-summer)   
OK:   Oklahoma  (with our Colorado Tours in April)    
TX:    Texas
VA:    Virginia  (Delmarva tours and in conjunction with the NC Tour in the spring)
WA:   Washington State  (during our September West Coast Tours) 
WY:   Wyoming  (with our Colorado Tours in April)

During FONT pelagic trips:

DEP:    offshore from Delaware
CAP:    offshore from California  
NCP:    offshore from North Carolina 
NJP:    offshore from New Jersey
WAP:   offshore from Washington State 

The months when the birds have been found are with the above codes. 

(ac):        north of the Arctic Circle 
(DT):       in the area of the Dry Tortugas islands in Florida
(PI):        at the Pribilof Islands in Alaska


(USe):          endemic to the USA 
(USqe):        quasi (or nearly) endemic to the USA
(USeb):        endemic-breeder in USA 
(USneb):      near-endemic breeder in the USA
(NAi):           species introduced into North America
(NAri):          re-introduced species
(r/NA):          rare in North America
(r/US):          rare in the USA

(t): a globally threatened or rare species, designated by Birdlife International
(t1): critical   (t2): endangered   (t3): vulnerable
(nt): a near-threatened species globally


(ph):  species with a photo in the FONT web-site  

       
Links to Bird Groupings in this part of this List:

Gallinaceous Birds    Waterfowl    Loons    Pelagic Birds    Grebes    

Flamingo, Storks    Ibises, Spoonbill    Bitterns, Herons, Egrets    

Tropicbirds, Frigatebirds    Boobies, Gannet    Pelicans, Cormorants, Anhinga 


Links to Other Parts of this North American Bird List:

Part #2:  Condor to Shorebirds    Part #3:  Jaegers to Cuckoos    Part #4:  Owls to Flycatchers

Part #5:  Shrikes to Pipits    Part #6:  Olive Warbler to Buntings

Links to Lists of Birds of: 

Alaska    Arizona    California    Colorado    Delaware, Maryland, Virginia (Delmarva Peninsula)     
North Carolina    Texas    Washington State

Links to Lists & Photo Galleries of Other Nature, including North American:

Mammals   Butterflies, Dragonflies    Amphibians, Reptiles    Marine Life, inc Fish, Crustaceans    


Links to Information about Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Tours: 

in North America     by month in:  2015   2016   or:    by geographic location worldwide


Other Links:

Directory of Photos in this Website 

A Photo Gallery of Birds that would be Rare In North America

List of Birds:


       GALLINACEOUS BIRDS 

1. Plain Chachalaca  (*) (ph) ______ TX:may
   Ortalis vetula
   
   SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
   Ortalis vetula mccallii  ______  subspecies in south Texas, and in Mexico south to Vera Cruz
   
   South of the US, the Plain Chachalaca has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico.
   
   
2. Chukar Partridge  (NAi) (*) ______  CO:apr  WA:sep 
   Alectoris chukar
   
   Outside North America, the Chukar Partridge has been seen during FONT tours, where it is native, in Bulgaria, Turkey.
    
   
3. Gray Partridge  (NAi) (*) ______ WA:sep
   Perdix perdox 
   
   Outside North America, where "gray" is spelled "grey", the Grey Partridge has been seen during FONT tours, where it is native, in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Sweden. (Another name for the species is "Hungarian Partridge".)
       
   
4. Himalayan Snowcock  (NAi) ______
   Tetraogallus himalayensis
   
   
5. Common Pheasant  (NAi) (*) ______  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:apr,may  KS:apr  NC:jun  NE:mar,apr  NM:apr  OK:apr  WA:sep 
   Phasianus colchicus
   
   Outside North America, the Common Pheasant has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden. 
   
   Some Common Pheasants, dependent upon their race, have also been called "Ring-necked Pheasant". 
   
   
6. Greater Prairie Chicken  (t3) (*) (ph) ______ CO:apr  NE:mar,apr  
   Tympanuchus cupido
   
   SUBSPECIES:
   Tympanuchus cupido attwateri  Attwater's Prairie Chicken  ______  now very rare, this subspecies along the Gulf Coast of Texas, and formerly in Louisiana 
   Tympanuchus cupido cupido  Heath Hen  ______  now extinct, this subspecies was in the northeastern United States
   Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus  ______  subspecies from south-central Canada to northeast Texas  
   
   Tympanuchus cupido was described by Linnaeus in 1758.  
   
   
   
   A Greater Prairie Chicken photographed during a FONT tour 
   (photo by Rick Greenspun) 
   
   
7. Lesser Prairie Chicken  (t3) (USe) (*) (ph)  ______  CO:apr  KS:apr
   Tympanuchus pallidicinctus  (monotypic)
   
   
   
   A Lesser Prairie Chicken photographed during a FONT tour 
   (photo by Rick Greenspun)
   
   
8. Sharp-tailed Grouse  (*)  ______ CO:apr  NE:mar,apr
   Tympanuchus phasianellus
   
   SUBSPECIES:
   Tympanuchus phasianellus campestris  ______  subspecies from central Canada to Wisconsin 
   Tympanuchus phasianellus caurus  ______  subspecies from Alaska to northern British Colombia and northern Alberta  (subspecies described in 1943)
   Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus  ______  subspecies from British Colombia to western Colorado
   Tympanuchus phasianellus jamesi  ______  subspecies from Alberta to Wyoming and Nebraska    
   Tympanuchus phasianellus kennicottii  ______  subspecies in Mackenzie
   Tympanuchus phasianellus phasianellus  ______  subspecies from Manitoba to Quebec
   
   Tympanuchus phasianellus was described by Linnaeus in 1758.  
   
   
9. Dusky Grouse  (*) (ph)  ______  CO:apr 
   Dendragapus obscurus
   
   When the Dusky Grouse and the Sooty Grouse (below) were combined, the species was the "Blue Grouse".
   
   
   
   A Dusky Grouse photographed during a FONT tour
   (photo by Alan Brady) 
   
   
10. Sooty Grouse  (*) ______ WA:sep 
    Dendragapus fuliginosus
    
    In Washington State, both Sooty and Dusky Grouse occur. The Sooty is in western Washington and on the east slope of the Cascades in the central part of the state. The Dusky is further east in Washington.
       
    
11. Greater Sage Grouse  (nt) (*) (ph)  ______  CO:apr,jul
    Centrocercus urophasianus  (monotypic)
    
    
    
    Greater Sage Grouse photographed in Colorado in April 2010
    
    
12. Gunnison Sage Grouse  (t2) (USe) (*) ______  CO:apr
    Centrocercus minimus  (monotypic)  
    
    In 2001, the Gunnison Sage Grouse was described as a full species, with its distribution restricted to about 8.5% of its historic range in Colorado and adjacent Utah. Nearly the entire population now is in south-central Colorado. 
    
    
13. Ruffed Grouse  (*) (ph)  ______  WA:sep
    Bonasa umbellus
    
    SUBSPECIES:
    Bonasa umbellus affinis  ______  subspecies from British Columbia, Canada to Oregon, US 
    Bonasa umbellus brunnescens  ______  subspecies in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada 
    Bonasa umbellus castanea  ______  subspecies in Washington State in the Olympic Mountains, described in 1943
    Bonasa umbellus incana  ______  subspecies in Utah, described in 1943 
    Bonasa umbellus labradorensis  ______  subspecies in Labrador, Canada, described in 1990
    Bonasa umbellus mediana  ______  subspecies in Minnesota, described in 1940
    Bonasa umbellus monticola  ______  subspecies in West Virginia, described in 1940  
    Bonasa umbellus obscura  ______  subspecies in northern Ontario, described in 1947
    Bonasa umbellus phaia  ______  subspecies in Idaho, described in 1943
    Bonasa umbellus sabini  ______  subspecies along the Pacific coast from British Columbia, Canada to California, US  
    Bonasa umbellus togata  ______  subspecies in the northeast and north-central US and in Nova Scotia, described by Linnaeus in 1766
    Bonasa umbellus umbelloides  ______  subspecies from southern British Colombia to Manitoba and northern Colorado
    Bonasa umbellus umbellus  ______  subspecies in the east-central US
    Bonasa umbellus yukonensis  ______  subspecies in Northwest Canada and Alaska 
    
    Bonasa umbellus was described by Linnaeus in 1766. 
    
    
    
    Ruffed Grouse. This bird in western North America.
    (photo by Ed Kendell)
    
    
14. Spruce Grouse  ______
    Falcipennis canadensis
    
    SUBSPECIES:
    Falcipennis canadensis atratus  ______  subspecies in southern Alaska
    Falcipennis canadensis canace  ______  subspecies in southeastern Canada and the north and northeastern US, subspecies described by Linnaeus in 1766
    Falcipennis canadensis canadensis  ______  subspecies from Alberta to Labrador and Nova Scotia
    Falcipennis canadensis franklinii  ______  subspecies from southeastern Alaska to northern Wyoming 
    Falcipennis canadensis isleibei  ______  subspecies in southeastern Alaska, described in 1996
    
    Falcipennis canadensis was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    
15. White-tailed Ptarmigan  (*) (ph)  ______  CO:apr
    Lagopus leucurus
    
    SUBSPECIES:
    Lagopus leucurus altipetens  ______  subspecies in the Rocky Mountains fro Montana to New Mexico
    Lagopus leucurus leucurus  ______  subspecies in northern British Colombia
    Lagopus leucurus peninsularis  ______  subspecies in central Alaska and the Yukon
    Lagopus leucurus rainierensis  ______  subspecies in central and southern Washington State including Mt. Rainier
    Lagopus leucurus saxatilis  ______  subspecies on Vancouver Island  
    
    
    
    A White-tailed Ptarmigan photographed in Colorado in April 2010
    
    
16. Willow Ptarmigan  (*)  ______  AK:may,jun
    Lagopus lagopus
    
    SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
    Lagopus lagopus alascensis  ______  subspecies in most of Alaska
    Lagopus lagopus alba  ______  subspecies in mainland northern Canada, except the northeast
    Lagopus lagopus alleni  ______  subspecies in Newfoundland
    Lagopus lagopus alexandrae  ______  subspecies in southern and southeastern Alaskan islands, and northwestern British Colombia
    Lagopus lagopus leucoptera  ______  subspecies on northern Canadian islands
    Lagopus lagopus muriei  ______  subspecies on the Aleutian & Kodak islands in Alaska 
    Lagopus lagopus ungavus  ______  subspecies in northern Canada, east of the Hudson Bay    
    
    
17. Rock Ptarmigan  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun
    Lagopus muta  
    
    Outside North America, the Rock Ptarmigan has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland. 
    Worldwide, there are 24 subspecies.  
    
    
    
    Above: a drawing of Rock Ptarmigans by Charles Gambill
    Below: a photo by Alan Brady of a Rock Ptarmigan during a FONT tour
    
    
    
    
    
18. Wild Turkey  (*) (ph) ______  AK:may  AZ:jul  CA:sep  CO:apr  DE:apr,may  KS:apr  MD:apr  NC:jun  NE:mar,apr  NM:apr  OK:apr  TX:mar,apr,may
    Meleagris gallopavo
    
    Some populations of the Wild Turkey have either been introduced, or re-introduced. 
    
    SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO, with original ranges:
    Meleagris gallopavo intermedia  ______  subspecies from northern Texas to northeastern Mexico
    Meleagris gallopavo merriami  ______  subspecies in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico  
    Meleagris gallopavo osceola  ______  subspecies in southern Florida
    Meleagris gallopavo silvestris  ______  subspecies in the southeastern US
    
    Meleagris gallopavo was described by Linnaeus in 1758, a subspecies in central Mexico.  
    
    South of the US, a notable subspecies. the "Gould's Wild Turkey", M. g. mexicana, has been seen during FONT tours in Mexico (Sonora)
    
    
    
    Wild Turkeys
    (photo courtesy of James Scheib) 
    
    
19. Scaled Quail  (*)  ______  AZ:jul,aug,sep  CO:apr  NM:apr,jul  OK:apr  TX:apr,may
    Callipepla squamata 
    
    SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
    Callipepla squamata castanaogastris  ______  subspecies in southern Texas and northeastern Mexico
    Callipepla squamata hargravei  ______  subspecies in New Mexico, described in 1973   
    Callipepla squamata pallida  ______  subspecies in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico
    
    
20. Gambel's Quail  (*) (ph) ______  AZ:jan,jul,aug,sep  TX:apr,may
    Callipepla gambelii
    
    SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
    Callipepla gambelii gambelii  ______  subspecies in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico
    
    South of the US, the Gambel's Quail has been seen during FONT tours in Mexico (Sonora).
    
    
    
    A Gambel's Quail photographed during a FONT tour in Arizona
    (photo by Marie Gardner)
     
    
21. California Quail  (*)  ______  CA:sep  WA:sep
    Callipepla californica
    
    SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
    Callipepla californica brunnescens  ______  subspecies along the Pacific coast from southwestern Oregon to central California
    Callipepla californica californica  ______  subspecies from eastern Oregon to northwestern Mexico
    Callipepla californica canfieldae  ______  subspecies in east-central California
    Callipepla californica catalinensis  ______  subspecies on Santa Catalina Island 
    
    South of the US, the California Quail has been seen during FONT tours in Chile, where it was introduced. It is said that the population of California Quails in Chile is now greater than in North America. 
    
    
22. Mountain Quail  (*)  ______  CA:sep
    Oreotyx pictus  (the single member of its genus)
    
    SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
    Oreotyx pictus eremophilus  ______  subspecies in southern California
    Oreotyx pictus pictus  ______  subspecies from southwestern Washington State to northern California, west of the Cascade Mountains
    Oreotyx pictus plumifer  ______  subspecies in Oregon, northeastern California, and Nevada, east of the Cascade Mountains
    Oreotyx pictus russell ______  subspecies in California in the Little San Bernardino Mountains, described in 1946  
    
    
23. Northern Bobwhite  (nt) (*) (ph)  ______ CO:apr  DE:may  KS:apr  NC:may,jun,aug  TX:mar,apr,may
    Colinus virginianus
    
    SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
    Colinus virginianus floridanus  ______  subspecies in Florida and the Bahamas
    Colinus virginianus ridgwayi  ______  subspecies historically in southern Arizona  (SEE BELOW) 
    Colinus virginianus taylori  ______  subspecies from South Dakota to northern Texas
    Colinus virginianus virginianus  ______  subspecies in the eastern and central US 
    
    Colinus virginianus was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    South of the US, the Northern Bobwhite has been seen during FONT tours in Mexico.
    
    
    
    Northern Bobwhite
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
    "Masked" Northern Bobwhite  (*) (ph)  ______  (r/US)  AZ:jul,aug
    Colinus virginianus ridgwayi
    
    Historically, this distinctive subspecies was found in southern Arizona in the US & in Sonora, Mexico. It disappeared from the US portion of its range in the early 1900s. A reintroduction into Arizona was done in the 1970s, and now it is rare both there and in Mexico.
    
    
    
    Masked Bobwhites photographed during a FONT tour in Arizona
    Above: male.   Below: female
    (photos by Marie Gardner)
    
    
    
    
    
24. Montezuma Quail  (*) ______ AZ:jul,aug  TX:apr  (former names have been Harlequin Quail & Mearn's Quail) 
    Cyrtonyx montezumae
    
    SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
    Cyrtonyx montezumae mearnsi  ______  (subspecies in the southwestern US & northwestern Mexico) 
    
    South of the US, the Montezuma Quail has been found during FONT tours in Mexico (Sonora). 
    
    
    WATERFOWL
    
    
25. Black-bellied Whistling Duck  (*) (ph) ______ AZ:jul  TX:apr,may
    Dendrocygna autumnalis
    
    SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
    Dendrocygna autumnalis autumnalis  ______  (subspecies from the United States to Panama)
    
    Dendrocygna autumnalis was described by Linnaeus in 1758.    
    
    During the summer of 2010, and others since, there have been influxes of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in the northeast US, with about 2 dozen birds at various places in Pennsylvania alone, and others in Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. 
    
    South of the US, the Black-bellied Whistling Duck has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela.
    
    
    
    Black-bellied Whistling Duck
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
     
    
26. Fulvous Whistling Duck  ______ 
    Dendrocygna bicolor  (monotypic)
    
    South of the US, the Fulvous Whistling Duck has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Venezuela.  
    
    
27. Greater White-fronted Goose  (*) ______ AK:may,jun (PI)  CA:sep  CO:apr  IA:mar  NE:mar  WA:sep
    Anser albifrons
    
    In 1994, there were said to be 2 subspecies of the Greater White-fronted Goose. In 2008, there were said to be four.
    In 2011, it was said that with the 5 well-defined "population units" occurring in North America, they may involve 4 subspecies on the continent, as noted below, or one more.
    
    SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA (from west to east):
    "Pacific White-fronted Goose"  Answer albifrons sponsa  ______  subspecies breeds in western Alaska, winters from California to western Mexico
    "Tule White-fronted Goose"  Anser albifrons elgasi  ______  subspecies with a small population that breeds in central Alaska, winters to central California
    "Tundra White-fronted Goose"  Anser albifrons gambeli (and possibly A. a, frontalis)  ______  subspecies that breeds in the Arctic, in Canada and Alaska, including 2 "units". one on the tundra, and one on the taiga. winters in the south-central US and northern Mexico   
    "Greenland White-fronted Goose"   Anser albifrons flavirostris  ______  subspecies that breeds in Greenland, wintering mostly in Britain and Iceland, but with some in eastern North Amercia, 
    a different subspecies than that on mainland Eurasia (Anser albifrons albifrons) which has not been known to occur in North America   
    
    Outside North America, the Greater White-fronted Goose has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Sweden. 
    
    
28. Taiga Bean Goose ______  (r/NA)  
    Anser fabalis
    
    
29. Tundra Bean Goose  (*) ______  (r/NA)   AK:may (PI)
    Anser serrirostris
    
    Recently split, both of the Bean Geese are Eurasian species. The former Bean Goose has occured rarely in Alaska, on the Aleutian Islands and other islands in the Bering Sea, mostly in the spring. There have been scattered occurrences elsewhere in North America.
    
    Outside North America, the Bean Geese (Taiga & Tundra) have been seen during FONT tours in Japan, Poland, Sweden. 
    
    
30. Pink-footed Goose  (ph)  ______  (r/NA)
    Anser brachyrhynchus  (monotypic)
    
    A species that breeds in eastern Greenland & in the highlands of Iceland, and normally winters in western Europe. It has occurred rarely in eastern North America, in places such as Newfoundland, Canada and Pennsylvania in the US.  
    
    Outside North America, the Pink-footed Goose has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland.
    
    
    
    A Pink-footed Goose in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
    Elsewhere in this website there are photos of the species in Iceland, both adults & young.    
    
    
31. Lesser White-fronted Goose ______  (r/NA)
    Anser erythropus
    
    An Old World species that has recently declined in population, especially in the western portion of its range. In North America. there is a specimen from Attu Island, in the Aleutians, Alaska from June 5, 1994. 
    
    Outside North America, the Lesser White-fronted Goose has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary.
    
    
32. Graylag Goose  (ph) ______  (r/NA)
    Anser anser 
    
    An Old World species that has become widely domesticated. It is a common resident in Iceland, and it has occurred in Greenland. One landed and remained on a ship about 120 miles southeast of St. Johns, Newfoundland from April 24 to May 2, 2005. 
    
    Outside North America, the Greylag Goose has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden.
    
    
33. Snow Goose  (*) (ph) ______ AK:may,jun (PI)  CO:apr  DE:mar,may  IA:mar  KS:apr  NC:may  NE:mar
    Chen caerulescens  (has been Anser caerulescens)
    
    SUBSPECIES:
    Chen caerulescens atlanticus:  the Greater Snow Goose  ______  from northeast Canada and northwest Greenland to the northeastern US, migratory
    Chen caerulescens caerulescens:  the Lesser Snow Goose  ______  from northeastern Siberia, northern Alaska, and northern Canada to the United States & northern Mexico, migratory  
    
    Outside North America, the Snow Goose has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland (where rare), Japan (where rare).
    
    
    
    Snow Geese
    (photo by Monika Dorman)
    
    
34. Ross's Goose (*)  ______  AK:may (PI)  AZ:jan  CO:apr  IA:mar  NE:mar
    Chen rossii  (has been Anser rossii)  (monotypic)
    
    
35. Emperor Goose  (nt) (*)  ______  AK:may,jun
    Chen canagica  (has been Anser canagica)  (monotypic)
    
    
36. Canada Goose  (*)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  AZ:aug  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:mar,apr,may  IA:mar  KS:apr  MD:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  NE:mar,apr  NF:jul  OK:apr  VA:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Branta canadensis  
    
    Another name could be "Greater Canada Goose", including the larger subspecies such as B. c. parvipes.
    
    Outside North America, the Canada Goose has been seen during FONT tours in Sweden, where it was introduced years ago. 
    
    
37. Cackling Goose  (ph)  ______    
    Branta hutchinsii 
    
    Another name for Branta hutchinsii could be "Lesser Canada Goose", including the "Aleutian Gosse", B. h. leucopareia, "Cackling Goose", B. h. minima, "Taverner's Goose", B. h. taverneri. 
    
    The population of the "Aleutian Goose" of Alaska seems to increasing, following the eradication of foxes on breeding islands.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Two photographs of a Cackling Goose with Snow Geese
    (photos by Kim Steininger)
    
    
38. Brant Goose  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun  CA:sep  DE:may  VA:mar  WA:sep 
    
    SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
    Branta bernicia hrota  ______  subspecies from northeast Canada and Greenland south as a migrant to the northeast US or northwest Europe (Ireland)   
    Branta bernicia nigricans  ______  subspecies from northeast Siberia, Alaska, and northwest Canada south as a migrant to western North America or eastern Asia
    
    Branta bernicia is called Brent Goose in the Old World, and often just "Brant" in North America.
    
    Outside North America, the Brant has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, Japan, Sweden, and south of the US in Mexico (Sonora). 
    
    
39. Barnacle Goose  (ph) ______  (r/NA)
    Branta leucopsis
    
    A species that breeds in northeast Greenland, rarely in Iceland, and elsewhere in northern Europe. Birds that are wild occur rarely in eastern North America.
    
    Outside North America, the Barnacle Goose has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, Sweden.  
    
    
40. Mute Swan (i) (*) (ph) ______  CO:apr  DE:may  VA:may  WA:sep
    Cygnus olor
    
    Outside North America, the Mute Swan has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden. In Europe, it is native. 
    
    
41. Tundra Swan  (*)  ______  AK:may,jun (ac) (PI)  DE:mar  NC:may  VA:mar
    Cygnus columbianus
    
    SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA: 
    Cygnus columbianus columbianus  ______  
    
    In North America, Cygnus columbianus columbianus has been called the "Whistling Swan". 
    In Eurasia, Cygnus columbianus bewickii  has been called the "Bewick's Swan".   
    
    Outside North America, the "Bewick's" Tundra Swan has been seen during FONT tours in Japan, Sweden.
    
    
42. Trumpeter Swan  (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun  NE:apr
    Cygnus buccinator  (monotypic) 
    
    The Trumpeter Swan has had an interesting history. At the beginning of the 20th Century, it was one of the rarest of North American birds. 
    
    For information about the "Trumpeter Swan Society":   www.trumpeterswansociety.org
    
    
    
    Trumpeter Swan
    
    
    
43. Whooper Swan  (ph) ______  (r/NA)
    Cygnus cygnus  (monotypic)
    
    The Whooper Swan is an Old World species that occurs regularly as a winter visitor in the western and central Aleutian Islands, Alaska. It has bred on Attu Island. The species has rarely occurred elsewhere in northwestern North America, south to northern California.
    
    The Whooper Swan was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Whooper Swan has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Sweden.
        
    
44. Common Shelduck ______  (r/NA)
    Tadorna tadorna  (monotypic)
    
    An Old World species. One was in Saint John's, Newfoundland, Canada, on November 17, 2009.
    
    The Common Shelduck was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Common Shelduck has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Poland, Spain, Sweden. Turkey. 
    
    
45. Muscovy Duck  (ph) ______  (r/US) 
    Cairina moschata  (monotypic)
    
    A Neotropical species. A nest box program in northeastern Mexico helped spread wild Muscovy Ducks into the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border. 
    
    The Muscovy Duck was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
    
    South of the US, the Muscovy Duck has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela.  
    
    
46. Wood Duck  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:jul,aug  BC:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:apr,may  FL:apr  IA:mar  KS:apr  NC:may,jun,aug  NE:mar  TX:apr  WA:sep 
    Aix sponsa  (monotypic)
    
    The Wood Duck was described by Linnaeus in 1758.  
    
    
    
    Above & below: Wood Ducks
    Above: a male;  below: a female with 16 young
    
    
    
    
    
47. Gadwall  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:jun  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr  DE:mar,apr,may  IA:mar  KS:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  NE:marapr  TX:mar,apr  VA:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Anas strepera  (now monotypic)
    
    The Gadwall was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Gadwalls were seen with young during the FONT North Carolina Tour in August 1994. 
    
    Outside North America, the Gadwall has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and south of the US in Mexico (Sonora).  
    
    
    
    Gadwalls  ABOVE: female, BELOW: male
    (photos by Doris Potter)
    
    
    
    
    
    
48. American Wigeon  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  AZ:jan,aug  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:mar,apr  IA:mar  KS:apr  NC:aug  NE:mar,apr  TX:mar,apr  VA:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Anas americana  (monotypic)
    
    Outside North America, the American Wigeon has been seen during FONT tours in Japan, and south of the US in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico.
    
    
    
    American Wigeons, a male above & a female below
    (both photos by Doris Potter)
    
    
    
    
49. Eurasian Wigeon  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  DE:mar  VA:mar
    Anas penelope  (monotypic)
    
    The Eurasian Wigeon was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Eurasian Wigeon has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden.
    
    
    
    A female Eurasian Wigeon
    (photo by Karl Frafjord during a FONT tour in Japan)
    
    
    
    
    Two female Wigeons together: Eurasian (above) and American (below)
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
50. American Black Duck  (*) (ph)  ______  DE:mar,apr,may  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  NF:jul  VA:mar
    Anas rubripes  (monotypic)
    
    
    
    A pair of American Black Ducks
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
51. Mallard  (*) (ph) ______ AK:may,jun (PI)  AZ:jan,jul,aug,sep  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:mar,apr,may  IA:mar  KS:apr  MD:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  NE:mar,apr  OK:apr  TX:mar,may  VA:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr 
    Anas platyrhynchos
    
    SUBSPECIES:
    Anas platyrhynchos conboschas  ______  subspecies in Greenland
    Anas platyrhynchos diazi  ______  has been considered a subspecies, mostly in northern and central Mexico  (SEE BELOW, as Mexican Duck)  
    Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos  ______  widespread subspecies in much of the Northern Hemisphere
    
    The Mallard was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Mallard has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey. 
    
    
    
    Above & below: Mallards 
    Above: male & female; below: a closer look at a female  
    (upper photo by Rhett Poppe; lower photo by Doris Potter) 
    
    
    
    
    
52. Mexican Duck  (*)  ______  AZ:jul,aug,sep  TX:apr,may  (has been considered conspecific with the Mallard) 
    Anas diazi
    
    South of the US, the Mexican Duck has been seen during FONT tours in Sonora, Mexico.
    
    
53. Mottled Duck  (*)  ______ FL:apr  TX:mar,apr,may
    Anas fulvigula 
    
    SUBSPECIES:
    Anas fulvigula fulvigula  ______  subspecies in Florida
    Anas fulvigula maculosa  ______  subspecies in the south-central US and northeastern Mexico
    
    South of the US, the Mottled Duck has been seen during FONT tours in Mexico.
    
    
54. Eastern Spot-billed Duck  (ph)  ______  (r/US)
    Anas zonorhyncha  (monotypic)
    
    An eastern Old World species that has occurred as a rarity in the western Aleutian Islands and Kodiak island, Alaska. 
    
    Outside North America, the Eastern Spot-billed Duck has been seen commonly during FONT tours in Japan. 
    
    
55. Blue-winged Teal  (*) (ph) ______  AZ:aug  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:apr,may  IA:mar  KS:apr  NC:may,aug  NE:mar,apr  NM:apr  OK:apr  TX:mar,apr,may  VA:may  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Anas discolors  (monotypic)
    
    The Blue-winged Teal was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    South of the US, the Blue-winged Teal has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Venezuela.
       
    
56. Cinnamon Teal  (*)  ______  AZ:jul,sep  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Anas cyanoptera
    
    SUBSPECIES NORTH OF SOUTH AMERICA:
    Anas cyanoptera septentrionalium  ______  subspecies from western North America to northwest South America; migratory, but with most in winter in the US and Mexico
    
    South of the US, the Cinnamon Teal has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Chile, Mexico.
    
    
57. Northern Shoveler  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  AZ:jan,aug,sep  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:mar,apr,may  IA:mar  KS:apr  NC:aug  NE:mar,apr  NM:apr  TX:mar,apr,may   VA:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Anas clypeata  (monotypic)
    
    The Northern Shoveler was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
    
    Outside North America, the Northern Shoveler has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and south of the US in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico. 
    
    
    
    A female Northern Shoveler
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
58. Northern Pintail  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  AZ:jan,aug,sep  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:mar,apr  IA:mar  KS:apr  NC:aug  NE:mar,apr  TX:mar,apr,may  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Anas acita  (monotypic)
    
    The Northern Pintail was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
    
    Outside North America, the Northern Pintail has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and south of the US in Mexico.
    
    
    
    Male & female Northern Pintails in flight
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
59. White-cheeked Pintail  (ph)  ______  (r/US)
    Anas bahamensis
    
    A species with populations in some West Indian islands, including the Bahamas, and in parts of South America. It has occurred as a vagrant in southern Florida.   
    
    SUBSPECIES IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE:
    Anas bahamensis bahamensis  ______  (in the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and northern South America) 
    
    The White-cheeked Pintail was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    South of the US, the White-cheeked Pintail has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Venezuela.
    
    
60. Green-winged Teal  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  AZ:jan,aug,sep  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:mar,apr,may  IA:mar  KS:apr  NE:mar,apr  TX:mar,may  VA:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr 
    Anas carolinensis
    
    The Green-winged Teal has been considered conspecific with the Eurasian Teal (below). 
    
    Outside North America, the Green-winged Teal was seen during a FONT tour in Iceland (a rare sighting), and south of the US during FONT tours in Mexico.
    
    
    
    A male Green-winged Teal
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
61. Eurasian Teal  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)
    Anas crecca 
    
    The Eurasian Teal was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Eurasian Teal has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey. .
    
    
    
    Eurasian Teal
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
62. Baikal Teal  (t3) (ph) ______  (r/NA)
    Anas formosa  (monotypic)
    
    An east Asian species, with a population that has declined in recent decades. In North America, it has occurred as a rarity in Alaska, and even more rarely further south along the Pacific Coast, in Washington State and California.
    
    Outside North America, the Baikal Teal has been seen during FONT tours in Japan.  
    
    For more regarding the BAIKAL TEAL, go to:  Rare Birds of Japan 
       
    
63. Falcated Duck  (nt) (*) (ph) ______  (r/NA)   AK:jun (PI)  
    Anas falcata  (monotypic)
    
    An east Asian species, that has occurred rarely in the western Aleutian Islands and in the Pribilof Islands in Alaska, and more rarely along the West Coast of North America.
    
    Outside North America, the Falcated Duck has been seen during FONT tours in Japan. 
       
    
64. Garganey  (*) ______  (r/NA)   AK:jun (PI)  
    Anas querquedula  (monotypic)
    
    An Old World species. It has occurred regularly, but rarely, in the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and more rarely in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, and along the Pacific Coast and elsewhere in North America.
    
    The Garganey was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
    
    Outside North America, the Garganey has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland (where rare), Japan, Poland, Romania, Spain, Turkey.  
      
    
65. Common Pochard  (*) (ph) ______  (r/NA)   AK:may (PI)  
    Aythya ferina  (monotypic)
    
    An Old World species. It occurs rarely in the Pribilof Islands and in the western & central Aleutian Islands in Alaska, and more rarely in south coastal Alaska and south along the Pacific Coast to California.
    
    The Common Pochard was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Common Pochard has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey. 
      
    
66. Canvasback  (*)  ______  AK:may,jun  CO:apr,jul  DE:apr  NE:mar,apr  WY:apr
    Aythya valisineria  (monotypic)
    
    South of the US, the Canvasback has been seen during FONT tours in Mexico.
    
    
67. Redhead  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun   AZ:aug  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:apr  IA:mar  NE:mar,apr  TX:mar,apr  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Aythya americana  (monotypic)
    
    
68. Ring-necked Duck  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun  BC:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:apr  IA:mar  KS:apr  NE:mar,apr  NM:apr  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Aythya collaris  (monotypic)
    
    Outside North America, the Ring-necked Duck was seen during a FONT tour in Japan, as a rarity there, and south of the US during FONT tours in Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico.
    
    
    
    Ring-necked Duck
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
     
    
69. Greater Scaup  (*)  ______  AK:may,jun (ac) (PI)  BC:sep  CO:jul  IA:mar  WA:sep
    Aythya marila
    
    SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
    Aythya marila mariloides  ______  (subspecies in northeastern Asia and northern & western Canada to mostly the US, migratory)
    
    The Greater Scaup was described by Linnaeus in 1761.  
    
    Outside North America, the Greater Scaup has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Romania, Sweden. 
    
    
    
    A pair of Greater Scaup photographed during a FONT tour
    (photo by Marie Gardner)
    
    
70. Lesser Scaup  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun  AZ:jan,jul,sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  IA:mar  KS:apr  NE:mar,apr  TX:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Aythya affinis  (monotypic)
    
    South of the US, the Lesser Scaup has been seen during FONT tours in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico.
    
    
71. Tufted Duck  (*) (ph)  ______  (r/NA)   AK:jun (PI)
    Aythya fuligula  (monotypic)
    
    The Tufted Duck is an Old World species. In North America, it is a regular visitor in western Alaska, and has occurred as a winter visitor along the East Coast as far south as Maryland, and along the West Coast south to California. It has occurred elsewhere in North America, including rarely in the Great Lakes area.
    
    The Tufted Duck was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Tufted Duck has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden. 
    
    
    
    A female Tufted Duck photographed during a FONT tour
    (photo by Gabi Hauser) 
    
    
72. Harlequin Duck  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  BC:sep  CA:sep  DE:mar  WA:sep
    Histrionicus histrionicus  (monot6ypic)
    
    The Harlequin Duck was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Harlequin Duck has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, Japan.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Above & below: Harlequin Ducks 
    A group of males and females in top photo; a male in the middle photo, and a raft of Harlequins below.
    (photos by Howard Eskin and Andy Bernick) 
    
    
    
    
73. Common Eider  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  NC:aug 
    Somateria mollissima 
    
    SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
    Somateria mollissima borealis  ______  subspecies in northeastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland to the North Atlantic, partly migratory
    Somateria mollissima dresseri  ______  subspecies in southeastern Canada and the northeastern US to the Atlantic coast, partly migratory
    Somateria mollissima sedentaria  ______  subspecies in the area of the Hudson Bay, described in 1943 
    Somateria mollissima v-nigra  ______  subspecies in Alaska and northeastern Asia to the Bering Sea and the Aleutian islands, migratory   
    
    The Common Eider was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    A Common Eider was first in the surf, and then resting on the sand, at Cape Hatteras during the FONT North Carolina Tour in August 1993.
    
    Outside North America, the Common Eider has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, Sweden. 
    In Iceland, there are many.
    
     
    
    Above & below: Common Eiders
    Above: a female; below: a male in breeding plumage 
    (lower photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
    
    
    
74. King Eider  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)
    Somateria spectabilis  (monotypic)
    
    The King Eider was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the King Eider has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, where it is rare.
    
    
    
    Above & below: King Eiders
    Above: females; below: an immature male, and below that, an adult male,  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
75. Spectacled Eider  (t3) (*)  ______  AK:may,jun
    Somateria fischeri  (monotypic)
    
    Spectacled Eiders form large wintering flocks in the Bering Sea. From aerial surveys in the 1990s, the average estimate of the number of birds in those flocks was over 300,000.  
    
    
76. Steller's Eider  (t3) (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)
    Polysticta stelleri  (monotypic)
    
    Outside North America, the Steller's Eider has been seen during a FONT tour in Sweden, where it was a rarity. 
    
    
    
    A female Steller's Eider
    (photo Claude Bloch during a FONT tour in Sweden)
    
    
77. Surf Scoter  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:jun (PI)  BC:sep  CA:sep  DE:mar  NJP:dec  WA:sep
    Melanitta perspicillata  (monotypic)
    
    The Surf Scoter was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    South of the US, the Surf Scoter has been seen during FONT tours in Mexico (Sonora).
    
    
    
    Above: an adult male Surf Scoter in flight
    Below: a first-winter Surf Scoter 
    (photos by Howard Eskin)
    
    
    
    
    
    
78. White-winged Scoter  (*)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  BC:sep  DE:may  NJP:dec  TX:mar  WA:sep 
    Melanitta deglandi
    
    Outside North America, what has been the White-winged Scoter has been seen during FONT tours in Japan, when the population was M. d. stejnegeri, "Stejneger's Scoter".
    
    The White-winged Scoter was conspecific with the Velvet Scoter, Melanitta fusca, of Europe. It also has been conspecific with what is now said to be the Asian White-winged Scoter, Melanitta stejnegeri.
    
    
79. Black Scoter  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun  BC:sep  DE:may  NC:may  WA:sep 
    Melanitta americana  (monotypic)
    
    Outside North America, the Black Scoter has been seen during FONT tours in Japan.
    
    The Black Scoter was conspecific with the Common Scoter, Melanitta nigra, of Europe. 
    
    
80. Long-tailed Duck  (t3) (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  DE:mar
    Clangula hyemalis  (monotypic)
    
    The Long-tailed Duck was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
    
    Outside North America, the Long-tailed Duck has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, Japan.
    
    A former name for Clangula hyemalis was Oldsquaw.
    
    
    
    Long-tailed Duck
    (photo by Kim Steininger)
    
    
81. Bufflehead  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr  DE:mar  IA:mar  KS:apr  NE:mar,apr  TX:mar,apr  VA:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Bucephala albeola  (monotypic)
    
    The Bufflehead was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Bufflehead has been seen during FONT tours in Hokkaido, Japan (where rare), and south of the US in Mexico (Sonora).
    
    
    
    Above: 4 female Buffleheads
    Below: a male Bufflehead in flight
    (photos by Howard Eskin)
    
    
      
    
82. Common Goldeneye  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  CO:apr  NE:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Bucephala clangula
    
    SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
    Bucephala clangula americana  ______  (subspecies from Alaska, Canada, & the northern US to the coastal US further south, migratory)
    
    The Common Goldeneye was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
    
    Outside North America, the Common Goldeneye has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Sweden.   
    
     
    
    A female Common Goldeneye
     
    
83. Barrow's Goldeneye  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun  CO:apr  WA:sep
    Buscephala islandica  (monotypic)
    
    Outside North America, the Barrow's Goldeneye has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland.
    
    
    
    Above & below: Barrow's Goldeneyes photographed during a FONT tour 
    Above a male; below a female
    (photos by Gabi Hauser)
    
    
    
    
    
84. Hooded Merganser  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:jun  BC:sep  DE:mar  TX:mar  VA:mar  WA:sep
    Lodhodytes cucullatus  (monotypic)
    
    The Hooded Merganser was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
    
    
    
    Above & below: photos of the male Hooded Merganser
    (upper photo by Doris Potter; lower photo by Ed Kendall) 
    
    
    
    And below: the female Hooded Merganser
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
    
    
    
85. Common Merganser  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  AZ:jan  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:mar,apr  IA:mar  NC:may  NE:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr 
    Mergus merganser 
    
    SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
    Mergus merganser americanus  ______  subspecies from Canada to the southern US, migratory
    
    The Common Merganser was described by Linnaeus in 1758, the nominate subspecies in Eurasia, 1 of 2 subspecies in Asia.
    
    Outside North America, the Common Merganser, M. m. merganser, has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, Japan, Poland, Sweden.. In Europe, it is known as the Goosander.
    
    
    
    A female Common Merganser 
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
86. Red-breasted Merganser  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr  DE:mar,apr,may  FL:apr  IA:mar  NJP:nov,dec  WA:sep
    Mergus serrator  (monotypic)
    
    The Red-breasted Merganser was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Red-breasted Merganser has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, Japan, Spain, Sweden, and south of the US in Mexico (Sonora).
    
    
    
    Above and below: Red-breasted Mergansers
    Above: an adult male, below: a female
    (photos by Howard Eskin)
    
    
    
    
87. Smew  (*)  ______  (r/NA)   AK:may (PI)
    Mergellus albellus  (monotypic)
    
    The Smew is an Old World species. It is a rare visitor to the Aleutian islands and the Priblof Islands in Alaska, and has occurred more rarely elsewhere in North America.
    
    The Smew was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    Outside North America, the Smew has been seen during FONT tours in Japan.
     
    
88. Ruddy Duck  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:jan,jul,aug,sep  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:mar,may  IA:mar  KS:apr  NE:mar,apr  TX:mar,apr,may  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Oxyura jamaicensis 
    
    SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
    Oxyura jamaicensis rubida  ______  subspecies from Canada to Mexico, migratory
    
    South of the US, the Ruddy Duck has been seen during FONT tours in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Puerto Rico.
    
    
89. Masked Duck  ______ (r/US) 
    Nomonyx dominicus  (monotypic)
    
    An Neotropical species, ranging from Mexico south through much of South America, and on some West Indian islands. In North America, it occurs rarely and irregularly in south and southeast Texas, and more rarely in Louisiana and Florida. Vagrants have occurred elsewhere in the US, including places as far north as Wisconsin and New England.
    
    The Masked Duck was described by Linnaeus in 1766.
    
    South of the US, the Masked Duck has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jamaica, Puerto Rico (where rare), Saint Lucia, Venezuela.
     
    
90. Labrador Duck  ______  (extinct)
    Camptorhynchus labridorius
    
    The Labrador Duck was best known from its wintering grounds along the mid-Atlantic Coast, and especially along the southern shore of Long Island, New York. The last definite record was a specimen taken in 1875. There's an inland record of one in the spring of 1862 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 
    
    
    Exotic waterfowl not included above, including: Ruddy Shelduck, Common Shelduck, Egyptian Goose, Swan Goose, Mandarin Duck, Bar-headed Goose, and Graylag Goose (domesticated).
    
    
    LOONS
    
    
91. Red-throated Loon  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun  CA:sep  DE:mar,apr,may  NC:may  NJP:nov,dec  VA:mar  WA:sep 
    Gavia stellata  (monotypic) 
    
    Gavia stellata is called Red-throated Diver in the Old World. 
    
    Outside North America, the Red-throated Loon, or Diver has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, Japan, Sweden.
    
    
92. Pacific Loon  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun  BC:sep  CA:sep  WA:sep
    Gavia pacifica  (monotypic)
    
    Gavia pacifica is called Pacific Diver in the Old World. 
    
    Outside North America, the Pacific Loon has been seen during FONT tours in Japan, and south of the US in Mexico (Sonora).
    
    
    
    Pacific Loon
    
    
93. Arctic Loon (*) ______  (r/US)   AK:may,jun  
    Gavia arctica
    
    SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
    Gavia arctica viridigularis  ______  subspecies in western Alaska and northeastern Siberia, to coasts of western North America & eastern Asia, migratory
    
    Gavia arctica is called Black-throated Diver in the Old World.
    
    The Arctic Loon, or Black-throated Diver was described by Linnaeus in 1758, the nominate subspecies in Eurasia.       
    
    Outside North America, the Arctic Loon, or Black-throated Diver has been seen during FONT tours in Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden.
    
    
94. Common Loon  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun  BC:sep  CA:sep  DE:mar,apr,may,jun  NC:may,jun,aug  NF:jul  NJP:may,sep,nov,dec  VA:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr
    Gavia immer  (monotypic)
    
    Gavia immer is called the Great Northern Diver in the Old World.
    
    Outside North America, the Common Loon, or Great Northern Diver, has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, and south of the US in Mexico (Sonora). 
    
     
    
    A Common Loon, in breeding plumage, photographed during a FONT tour  
    (photo by Gabi Hauser)
     
    
95. Yellow-billed Loon  (*)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI) 
    Gavia adamsii  (monotypic)
    
    Gavia adamsii is called White-billed Diver in the Old World.
    
    Outside North America, the Yellow-billed Loon, or White-billed Diver has been seen during FONT tours in Japan, and once in Iceland where it is a rarity. 
    
    
    PELAGIC BIRDS 
    
    
96. Black-footed Albatross  (t3) (*) ______ CAP:sep  WAP:sep
    Phoebastria nigripes  (monotypic)
    
    Outside North America, the Black-footed Albatross has been seen at sea during FONT tours in Japan.
    
    
97. Laysan Albatross  (nt) (*) (ph)  ______  WAP:sep
    Phoebastria immutabilis  (monotypic)
    
    Outside North America, the Laysan Albatross has been seen at sea during FONT tours in Japan. 
    
    
98. Short-tailed Albatross  (t3) (ph)  ______  (r/NA)  (also called Steller's Albatross)
    Phoebastria albatrus  (monotypic)
    
    The Short-tailed Albatross is an oceanic species that breeds only on 2 offshore Japanese islands, mostly on Torishima Island. 
    Sightings, in recent years, have increased in the North Pacific Ocean off North America from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska south to central California. The great majority of these sightings have been juveniles and subadult birds.   
    
    Outside North America, the Short-tailed Albatross has been seen at sea during FONT tours in Japan.
    
    For more regarding the SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS, go to:   Rare Birds of Japan 
      
    
99. Light-mantled Albatross ______  (r/US)  (has been called Light-mantled Sooty Albatross)
    Phoebetria palpebrata  (monotypic)
    
    The Light-mantled Albatross is a circumpolar bird of the Southern Hemisphere. One was well documented at Cordell Bank off northern California on July 17, 1994. The origin of the bird has been disputed. 
    
    
100. Shy Albatross  (ph) ______  (r/US)
     Thalassarche cauta
     
     The Shy Albatross is an oceanic species of the Southern Hemisphere. T. cauta breeds on islands off Tasmania, Australia.
     Offshore from the Pacific Coast of North America, the Shy Albatross is a rarity from Washington State to northern California. It has also been seen (once) off Kasatochi Island, in the Aleutians, Alaska.
     A specimen of T. cauta was taken off Washington State in 1951, The have been at least 9 other North American records since 1996.       
     
     
101. Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross  (t2)  ______  (r/NA)
     Thalassarche chlororhynchos  (monotypic)
     
     The Atlantic (or Western) Yellow-nosed Albatross breeds mostly on Tristan de Cunha and the Gough Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. 
     In North America, it has occurred as a rarity off, or along, the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.   
     
     
102. Black-browed Albatross (t2) (ph) ______  (r/NA)
     Thalassarche melanophris 
     
     The Black-browed Albatross is a circumpolar oceanic species of the Southern Hemisphere. 
     In the Northern Hemisphere, it has occurred as a rarity in the North Atlantic, mostly in the northeast portion of the ocean.
     An immature bird was photographed off Virginia Beach, Virginia on February 6, 1999. Otherwise, there have been reports of a number of sightings off eastern North America, some documented, some not.   
     
     South of the US, the Black-browed Albatross has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul), Chile.
     
     
103. Wandering Albatross  (t3) (ph)  ______  (r/NA)
     Diomedea exulans
     
     The Wandering Albatross is a circumpolar bird of the Southern Hemisphere. 
     There is an offshore California record for Sonoma County, on July 11-12, 1967. As info, there have been at least 5 European records.    
     
     
104. Northern Fulmar (*) (ph) ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  CAP:sep  DEP:may  NJP:may,dec  WAP:sep
     Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Fulmarus glacialis glacialis  ______  subspecies in northeast Canada and northern Greenland, and elsewhere in the far-northern Atlantic Ocean
     Fulmarus glacialis auduboni  ______  subspecies in southeastern Canada and southern Greenland, and elsewhere in the North Atlantic Ocean  
     Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii  ______  subspecies in the North Pacific Ocean
     
     The Northern Fulmar was described by Linnaeus in 1761. 
     
     Outside North America, the Northern Fulmar has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, Japan, Sweden.
     
     
     
     A Northern Fulmar photographed during a FONT pelagic trip off the coast of New Jersey
     
     
105. Black Petrel  (t3) ______  (r/US)  (has also been called Parkinson's Petrel)
     Procellaria parkinsoni
     
     The Black Petrel is an oceanic species that breeds on islands off New Zealand, and ranges north during the austral winter to the east-central Pacific Ocean, north to waters off Mexico. 
     One was seen about 20 miles offshore from Point Reyes, California, on October 1, 2005, and another off the Oregon coast that same year and month, on October 22, 2005.
     
     
106. White-chinned Petrel ______  (r/US)
     Procellaria aequinoctialis
     
     The White-chinned Petrel is an oceanic species of the Southern Hemisphere. 
     One was found in poor condition offshore from Galveston, Texas on April 27, 1986. It was correctly identified, but there was some question as to how the bird got there. 2 decades later, the record was at last accepted in 2007.
     On October 18, 2009, one was observed on the Pacific Ocean, offshore from San Mateo, California.
     In August 2010, another was observed on the Atlantic, offshore from Bar Harbor, Maine.
     On September 9, 2011, the 4th North American record was again on the Pacific off the southern California coast, 14 miles south of Point Conception.  
     
     South of the US, the White-chinned Petrel has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Brazil, Chile.
      
     
107. Black-capped Petrel  (t2) (*) (ph) ______ NCP:may,jun,jul,aug
     Pterodroma hasitata  (now monotypic, if the Jamaican population is extinct) 
     
     The Black-capped Petrel breeds in the West Indies, mostly on Hispaniola. 
     Off eastern North America, it is common in the Gulf Stream off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, from late May to mid-October. 
     Otherwise, it occurs uncommonly off eastern North America north to Nova Scotia and in the Gulf of Mexico. It can occur inland in eastern North America as a result of hurricanes.     
     
     South of the US, the Black-capped Petrel has been seen during a FONT tour in Puerto Rico (at sea). 
     
     
108. Trindade Petrel  (t3) (*) ______  (r/US)   NCP:may,jun,aug   
     Pterodroma arminjoniana 
     
     The Trindade Petrel is an oceanic species breeding on islands off northern Brazil in the tropical South Atlantic Ocean. 
     In North American waters, it is a rare visitor from late May to late September in the Gulf Stream off North Carolina. It has occurred, more rarely, inland in North America after hurricanes.  
     
     Trindade Petrels (or Herald Petrels as they were known then) were seen during FONT North Carolina pelagic trips 1992-99, during 7 years out of the 8. During 2 years they were seen in June; during 6 years in August.   
     
     As just noted, this pelagic species off North Carolina has been called the Herald Petrel, but that name is now for the species in the Pacific Ocean while Trindade Petrel is for that in the Atlantic. 
     
     
109. Fea's Petrel  (nt) (*) (ph) ______ (r/NA)  NCP:may,jun,aug
     Pterodroma feae
     
     The Fea's Petrel is an oceanic species that breeds on the Madeira and Cape Verde Islands in the North Atlantic ocean off west Africa. 
     It is a rare visitor off North Carolina, in the US, with sightings from late May to the fall. It has also occurred as an accidental off Nova Scotia, Canada.    
     
     The first "Soft-plumaged type", or Fea's Petrel, during a FONT pelagic trip , was seen offshore from North Carolina in June 1995. That bird was photographed. There were subsequent sightings during FONT NC pelagic trips in 1996, 1998, & 1999. 
     
     The Fea's Petrel was at one time considered a population of the Soft-plumaged Petrel, Pterodroma mollis.
     
     It has recently been suggested, in 2008, by Robb & Mullarney in the book "Petrels Night and Day", that the current two populations of Fea's Petrels be considered as distinct species: 
     the Fea's Petrel, P. feae, and the Desertas Petrel, P. deserta, with the Fea's Petrel breeding on the Cape Verde Islands, and the Desertas Petrel breeding on the Desertas Islands about 1,200 miles to the north. 
     At-sea identification between the two could be problematic.             
     
     
     
     A Fea's Petrel during a FONT pelagic trip off North Carolina
     (photo by Mike Danzenbaker)
     
     
110. Hawaiian Petrel  (t3) (*) ______  (r/US)   CAP:sep  
     Pterodroma sandwichensis
     
     The Hawaiian Petrel is an oceanic species that nests only in the Hawaiian Islands. It was "split" from the Galapagos Petrel, Pterodroma phaeopygia, which together were known as the Dark-rumped Petrel. 
     It has been found, as a rarity, off California and Oregon from May to October.
     
     A single Hawaiian Petrel was seen during the pelagic trip out of Monterey, California that was part of the FONT West Coast USA tour in September 2005.   
     
     South of the US, the Galapagos Petrel, closely related to and formerly conspecific with the Hawaiian Petrel, has been seen during FONT tours in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
     
     
     
     Hawaiian Petrel
     (photo courtesy of Cameron Rutt)
     
     
111. Murphy's Petrel  (nt)  ______  (r/US)
     Pterodroma ultima
     
     The Murphy's Petrel is an oceanic species that breeds on remote islands in the central South Pacific Ocean. 
     It is said to be a fairly common spring visitor far off the California coast, and has been found at least as far north as off Washington State.  
     
     
112. Great-winged Petrel _____  (r/US)
     Pterodroma macroptera
     
     The Great-winged Petrel is an oceanic species of the southern oceans. 
     Off North America, the most recent occurrences have been on August 26, 2011 and September 18, 2010, offshore from Monterey, California. Previously, there were 2 records, both of them also off central California, one in the late-summer & one in October. 
     Birds off North America are said to be the subspecies gouldi with a whiter face.
     
     
113. Mottled Petrel  (nt)  ______  (r/NA)
     Pterodroma inexpectata
     
     The Mottled Petrel is an oceanic species that breeds on islands off New Zealand. 
     It is thought to occur regularly well offshore from southern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands in the summer, and to be rare off the Pacific Coast of Canada and the lower United States in the fall.
     There's an old record of it occurring as an accidental in Livingston County, in western New York State, in April 1880.       
     
     
114. Cook's Petrel  (t2)  ______  (r/NA)
     Pterodroma cookii  (monotypic)
     
     The Cook's Petrel is an oceanic species that breeds on islands off New Zealand. 
     It occurs usually well off the California coast from spring through late-fall, where it is the most common Pterodroma petrel. 
     It has also occurred as a rarity in the summer off the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and on the Salton Sea in southern California. 
     In 2009, cumulatively on 6 pelagic trips out of central California, from July 31 to September 12, a high tally of 307 Cook's Petrels were found.
     In 2010, on June 12, as many as 237 Cook's Petrels were seen during one offshore California pelagic trip out of Santa Barbara. Photographs were taken.  
     
     
115. Stejneger's Petrel  (t3) ______  (r/US)
     Pterodroma longirostris  (monotypic)
     
     The Stejneger's Petrel is an oceanic species that breeds in the South Pacific Ocean on the Juan Fernandez Islands off Chile. 
     It has occurred as a rarity well off the California coast, mostly in the fall. There is a record of it as a vagrant along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, at Port Aransas on September 15, 1995, where it was found as a tideline corpse.
     
     
116. Providence Petrel  (t3)  ______  (r/NA)  (also called Solander's Petrel)
     Pterodroma solandri  (monotypic)
     
     The Providence Petrel is a species of the east-central Pacific Ocean. 
     One was seen and photographed off British Columbia, Canada, on October 6, 2009. Identification was not when it was seen, but later from the photos. 
     
     
117. Bermuda Petrel  (t2)  ______  (r/US)  (also called the Cahow)
     Pterodroma cahow  (monotypic)
     
     The Bermuda Petrel, or Cahow, is an oceanic species that nests only on islets off Bermuda. 
     Since the mid-1990s, there have been some well-documented records off the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the late spring (mostly) and summer.
     
     
118. Cory's Shearwater (*) (ph) ______ DEP:jun,aug,sep  NCP:may,jun,jul,aug  NJP:may,jul,aug,sep
     Calonectris borealis 
     
     As of September 2012, the British Ornithologists Union (the BOU) split the Cory's Shearwater into 3 species:
     - the Cory's Shearwater, Calonectris borealis: breeding on northern Atlantic islands in the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands, going, when not breeding, into the western Atlantic Ocean    
     - the Scopoli's Shearwater, Calonectris diomedea: breeding in the Mediterranean Sea, going, when not breeding, also into the Atlantic Ocean 
     and 
     - the Cape Verde Shearwater, Calonectris edwardsii
     (the last of these already recognized by the American Ornithologists Union, the AOU, in 2006)     
     
     Outside North America, the Cory's Shearwater has been seen during FONT tours in Spain, including the Canary Islands.  
     
     
119. Scopoli's Shearwater  ______  (see note above under Cory's Shearwater; further notes below) 
     Calonectris diomedea
     
     In the field, the Scopoli's Shearwater can appear appreciably smaller and smaller billed than the Cory's Shearwater.
     However it must be noted that both the Cory's Shearwater and the Scopoli's Shearwater have marked sexual dimorphism, so that a small female Cory's Shearwater can overlap in bill-size with a male Scopoli's Shearwater. 
     But, because the Scopoli's Shearwater has a smaller head, its bill can look large.
     The Cory's Shearwater has been said to be the largest shearwater. The wingspan of the Cory's Shearwater is from 113 to 124 cm. That of the Scopoli's Shearwater is 110 to 121 cm. 
     
     Under similar conditions, the flight of the Scopoli's Shearwater is lighter and less lumbering than that of the Cory's Shearwater, with somewhat quicker wingbeats.   
     
     Off North America, the Scopoli's Shearwater is said to occur as an uncommon to rare nonbreeding visitor, mostly from May to October, in warmer waters from Florida north to New England, and in the Gulf of Mexico.
     It likely occurs in the North American range of the Cory's Shearwater that is much more numerous.    
     
     Outside North America, the Scopoli's Shearwater has been seen during FONT tours in Spain, from the Mediterranean coast. 
     
     
120. Cape Verde Shearwater  (nt) ______  (split from the Cory's Shearwater by some in 1995, but not by the AOU, American Ornithologists Union, until 2006) 
     Calonectris edwardsii
     
     The Cape Verde Shearwater is an oceanic species that breeds in the Cape Verde Islands in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa. 
     There have been North American records off the Outer Banks of North Carolina on August 15, 2005, and off Maryland on October 21, 2006.  
     
     
121. Streaked Shearwater ______  (r/US)
     Calonectris leucomelas 
     
     The Streaked Shearwater is an oceanic east Asian species. It has occurred rarely off central California in the fall.  
     
     Outside North America, the Streaked Shearwater has been seen during FONT tours in Japan.
     
     
122. Great Shearwater  (*) (ph)  ______  DEP:jun,aug,sep  NCP:may,jun,jul,aug  NJP:may,jul,aug,sep,dec 
     Puffinus gravis  (monotypic) 
     
     Now with the name Great Shearwater, Puffinus gravis was called, particularly in North America, the Greater Shearwater.   
     
     
     
     A Greater Shearwater during a FONT pelagic trip off New Jersey
     (photo by Armas Hill)
     
     
123. Manx Shearwater  (*)  ______  DEP:jun  NCP:aug  NJP:may,dec 
     Puffinus puffinus  (monotypic)
     
     Outside North America, the Manx Shearwater has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Brazil, Iceland.
      
     
124. Audubon's Shearwater  (*) (ph)  ______  DEP:jun,aug  FL:apr (DT)  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  NJP:jul,aug,sep
     Puffinus iherminieri
     
     South of the US, the Audubon's Shearwater has been seen during FONT tours in Puerto Rico (at sea). 
     
     What was the Audubon's Shearwater in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador is now the Galapagos Shearwater, Puffinus subalaris. It has been seen during FONT tours there. 
     
     
125. Sooty Shearwater  (nt) (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may,jun  CA:sep  CAP:sep  DEP:may,jun  NC:aug  NCP:may,jun,aug  NJP:may,jul  WA:sep  WAP:sep
     Puffinus griseus  (monotypic)
     
     Sooty Shearwaters are uncommon off North Carolina during mid & late summer. The species was seen during a FONT tour from the North Carolina shore in August 1994.
     
     South of the US, the Sooty Shearwater has been seen during FONT tours in Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador.
     
     
126. Short-tailed Shearwater (*) (ph) ______  CAP:sep  WAP:sep
     Puffinus tenuirostris  (monotypic)
     
     Outside North America, the Short-tailed Shearwater has been seen during FONT tours in Japan.
     
     
127. Pink-footed Shearwater (t3) (*) (ph) ______  CAP:sep  WAP:sep
     Puffinus cratopus  (monotypic)
     
     South of the US, the Pink-footed Shearwater has been seen during FONT tours in Chile.
     
     
128. Flesh-footed Shearwater (*) ______  CAP:sep  WAP:sep 
     Puffinus carneipes  (monotypic)
     
     Outside North America, the Flesh-footed Shearwater has been seen at sea during FONT tours in Japan.
     
     
129. Buller's Shearwater  (t3) (*) ______  CAP:sep  WAP:sep 
     Puffinus bulleri  (monotypic)
     
     Outside North America, the Buller's Shearwater has been seen at sea during FONT tours in Japan.
     
     
130. Black-vented Shearwater  (nt) (*) ______ CAP:sep
     Puffinus opisthomeias  (monotypic)
     
     
131. Townsend's Shearwatet  ______  (r/US)
     Puffinus auricularis
     
     The Townsend's Shearwater is a species of the east-central Pacific Ocean. 
     In California, not at sea, but on shore, one, of the distinctive subspecies newelli, was captured on August 1, 2007 after it has been dive-bombing workers along a railroad in San Diego County during the night!  
     
     
132. Macaronesian Shearwater ______  (r/NA)    
     Puffinus baroli
     
     The Macaronesian Shearwater, nesting in the Azores and the Canary Islands, was part of the Little Shearwater.
     It is also called the Barolo Shearwater, whereas the Boyd's Shearwater, Puffinus boydi, nests on the Cape Verde islands. The Boyd's Shearwater has been considered part of the Audubon's Shearwater.   
     
     A single Macaronesian Shearwater occurred off North Carolina on December 28, 1984. There may have been other occurrences in those waters. 
     Historically, there was one at Sullivan's Island, South Carolina in August 1883 and one at Sable Island, Nova Scotia in September 1896.  
     
     Outside North America, the Macaronesian, or Barolo Shearwater (formerly the Little Shearwater) has been seen during FONT tours in the Canary Islands. 
     
     
133. Subantarctic Little Shearwater ______  (r/NA) 
     Puffinus elegans 
     
     Puffinus elegans, from the west coast of southern South America, was part of the Little Shearwater.
     
     
134. Wedge-tailed Shearwater ______  (r/US)
     Puffinus pacificus 
     
     The Wedge-tailed Shearwater is an oceanic species of the warmer waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. 
     It occurs rarely in the summer in waters off central California.    
     
     South of the US, the Wedge-tailed Shearwater has been seen during FONT tours in the vicinity of the Galapagos Islands.
     
     
135. Bulwer's Petrel  (*) (ph)  ______  (r/US)   NCP:aug   
     Bulweria bulwerii  (monotypic)
     
     The Bulwer's Petrel is a species of tropical and subtropical oceans. 
     It has occurred very rarely off both North American coasts in the summer, off central California and off the Outer Banks of North Carolina (regarding the latter, see sentence below).
     
     A Bulwer's Petrel, during a FONT offshore North Carolina pelagic trip, on August 8, 1998, was the first seen and photographed off eastern North America.   
     
     Off western North America, a Bulwer's Petrel was photographed just a few days earlier, on July 26, 1998 off Monterey Bay, California. There was a previous occurrence, without a substantiating photograph, off North Carolina on July 1, 1992.
      
     Outside North America, the Bulwer's Petrel has been seen during FONT tours in the Canary Islands and at sea in southern Japan.
     
     
136. Wilson's Storm Petrel  (*) (ph)  ______  CAP:sep  DEP:may,jun,aug  NC:jun  NCP:may,jun,jul,aug  NJP:may,jul,aug,sep  
     Oceanites oceanicus  
     
     During a FONT North Carolina Tour in June 1996, a couple birds of the sea were seen on a beach. One of them was a Wilson's Storm Petrel, seen closely as it rested, before it flew back out over the ocean. The other was an Arctic Tern, seen on the same beach at the same time.   
     
     South of the US, the Wilson's Storm Petrel has been seen during FONT tours in Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul), Chile. 
     
     
137. Leach's Storm Petrel  (*)  ______  DEP:jun  NCP:may,jun,jul,aug  NJP:may  WAP:sep
     Oceanodroma leucorhoa
     
     Since 1980, 4 subspecies of the Leach's Storm Petrel have been described to science:
     
     Oceanodroma l. leucorhoa: the nominate, described in 1818. It is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, and is usually white-rumped. Those in the North Atlantic Ocean are indistinguishable from those in the North Pacific Ocean.
     
     Oceanodroma leucorhoa chapmani (the "Chapman's Storm Petrel"): described in 1937. It differs from the previous subspecies by its smaller size and subtle differences in proportions, and by being mainly dark-rumped. It occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean off California and Mexico.
     
     Oceanodroma leucorhoa socorroensis (the "Townsend's Storm Petrel"): described in 1890. On islets off the south end of Guadalupe Island, Mexico (mainly on Islote Afuera & on Islote Negro), it is a summer breeder. The population on Islote Afuera has been estimated as being about 4,000 birds, and that on Islote Negro as 3,000 birds. 
     
     Oceanodroma leucorhoa cheimomnestes (the "Ainley's Storm Petrel"): described in 1980. On Guadalupe Island, Mexico, it is a winter breeder. Generally, after breeding, the "Ainley's Storm Petrel" seems to travel southward, based on limited specimen data. 
     
     
     On June 12, 2010, three subspecies of Leach's Storm Petrels were seen during an offshore California pelagic trip out of Santa Barbara. Among them was one of the summer-breeding Guadalupe Island (Mexico) subspecies.   
     
     South of the US, the Leach's Storm Petrel has been seen during FONT tours near the Galapagos Islands (during their non-breeding season), in Puerto Rico (at sea, non-breeding season).
     
     
138. Band-rumped Storm Petrel  (*)  ______  NCP:may,jun,jul,aug  NJP:sep  
     Oceanodroma castro 
     
     Oceanodroma castro has also been called the Madeiran or Harcourt's Storm Petrel. 
     
     Recent studies have found considerable diversity within the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel complex, with at least 9 distinct populations, with at least 5 in the Atlantic Ocean and 4 in the Pacific Ocean.
     Several, maybe all, of these populations are distinct enough to be recognized as species. Identification at sea however can still be described as problematic.    
     
     As of September 2012, the British Ornithologists Union (the BOU) split what was the Band-rumped Storm Petrel into 3 species:
     - Madeiran Storm Petrel, Oceanodroma castro: breeding in the summer, from June to October, on the Madeira archipelago and the northeastern Canary Islands. 
     - Cape Verde Storm Petrel, Oceanodroma jabejabe: breeding on the Cape Verde Islands, little known but said to have 2 genetically distinct populations.  
     - Monteiros Storm Petrel, Oceanodroma monteiroi: breeding on the Azores Islands, described formally in 2008.
     
     Another North Atlantic population, breeding in the winter, that has been called the "Grant's Storm Petrel" has yet to be described. It nests from October to March on the eastern North Atlantic islands of the Azores, Berlangas, the Canary Islands, the Madeiran archipelago, and Selvagens.   
     
     The "Grant's Storm Petrel" has certainly been found in oceanic waters offshore from eastern North America. The wing molt schedule of most Gulf Stream and Gulf of Mexico birds is consistent with Grant's. It ranges at sea mainly from May to August in warm waters of the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
        
     Other populations of what has been the Band-rumped Storm Petrel may well occur off eastern North America including the Madeiran Storm Petrel, which may be an uncommon to rare non-breeding visitor to the Gulf Stream off North Carolina and maybe elsewhere, probably from May to August.
     
     
     As many as 160 Band-rumped Storm-Petrels were seen during one FONT North Carolina pelagic trip in August 1997. There was another good day for Band-rumped Storm-Petrels in August 1998, when about 120 were seen during a FONT NC pelagic trip.  
     
     South of the US, a Pacific population of what has been the Band-rumped Storm Petrel has been seen during FONT tours near the Galapagos Islands.
      
     
139. Least Storm Petrel (*) ______  CAP:sep 
     Oceandroma microsoma
     
     
140. Ashy Storm Petrel  (t2) (*) ______  CAP:sep  
     Oceandroma homochroa
     
     
141. Black Storm Petrel  (*) ______  CAP:sep  
     Oceandroma melania  
     
     
142. Fork-tailed Storm Petrel  (*) ______ WAP:sep
     Oceanodroma furcata
     
     Outside North America, the Fork-tailed Storm Petrel has been seen at sea during FONT tours in Japan.  
     
     
143. Wedge-rumped Storm Petrel ______  (r/US)
     Oceanodroma tethys
     
     The Wedge-rumped Storm Petrel is a species that breeds on the Galapagos Islands (the race tethys), and on islets off Peru (the smaller race kelsalli). 
     It has occurred rarely off the California coast from August to January. A single specimen of kelsalli was obtained in January. 
     
     
144. Hornby's Storm Petrel ______  (r/NA)  (has also been called Ringed Storm Petrel)
     Oceanodroma hornbyi
     
     The Hornby's Storm Petrel is a South American species of the Humboldt Current. Its nesting grounds are said to be unknown, but possibly there are in the central Andes. 
     There was 1 well-documented North American record off San Miguel Island, California on August 2, 2005.   
     
     
145. Swinhoe's Storm Petrel ______ (r/US)
     Oceanodroma monorhis
     
     The Swinhoe's Storm Petrel is a species that has been known normally in the western Pacific & Indian Ocean, being found widely from Vladivostok in Siberia to Somalia, and as well as in the Red Sea, and rarely off northwest Australia.   
     Since 1983, there have been known occurrences in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, at the Salvage Islands, and in England, Spain, France, Italy, and Norway.  
     Off North America, one was well documented on June 2, 2008 in the Atlantic Ocean offshore from North Carolina. Not well documented, was an earlier one in those same waters on August 8, 1998.   
      
     Outside the US, the Swinhoe's Storm Petrel has been seen during FONT tours in Japan (at sea).
      
     
146. Tristram's Storm Petrel  (nt)  ______  (r/US) 
     Oceanodroma tristrami
     
     The Tristram's Storm Petrel is a species of the Pacific Ocean, breeding in Hawaii and on islands southeast of Japan. 
     In the US, one was captured, measured, and released on the Farallon Islands off California on April 22, 2006.
     
     Outside the US, the Tristram's Storm Petrel has been seen during FONT tours in Japan (at sea).   
     
     
147. White-faced Storm Petrel  (*) (ph)  ______  (r/NA)   NCP:jul,aug  NJP:aug,sep
     Pelagodroma marina  (the single member of its genus) 
     
     An oceanic species. It occurs rarely, but annually, off the North Atlantic Coast of North America, from Massachusetts to North Carolina, in the late-summer.  
     
     During the later decades of the 20th Century, it became apparent that the White-faced Storm-Petrel is a regular visitor from mid-August to late-September at the the deepwater canyons off eastern North America, especially off New England north to Cape Cod, and maybe to a somewhat lesser extent south to waters offshore from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Pelagic trips off Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and North Carolina have had success finding the species in late summer.
     Usually, just singles or a few individuals (2 or 3) have been found, but during a pelagic trip offshore from southeastern Massachusetts on August 28, 2010, there were as many as 22 White-faced Storm-Petrels, the most ever noted during a pelagic trip off North America. All but one of the 22 appeared to be juveniles. A couple were in Welker Canyon, 8 were in Hydrographer Canyon, and the remaining 12 were concentrated in the small Dogbody Canyon.              
     
     White-faced Storm Petrels were seen during FONT North Carolina pelagic trips in 1996 & 1999. In '96 in August; in '99 (twice) in July & August. 
     The species has also been seen during FONT pelagic trips offshore from New Jersey, in August & September. 
     
     
     
     A White-faced Storm Petrel photographed during a FONT pelagic trip, offshore from New Jersey.
     
     
148. European Storm Petrel ______  (r/NA)
     Hydrobates pelagicus 
     
     The European Storm Petrel is an oceanic species that breeds on islands in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea. 
     A specimen was taken near Sable Island, Nova Scotia in August 1970. Since then, there have been sightings off the Atlantic Coast south to New Jersey and North Carolina.
       
     
149. Black-bellied Storm Petrel ______  (r/NA)
     Fregetta tropica 
     
     The Black-bellied Storm Petrel is a species of the Southern Hemisphere. 
     One was well photographed offshore from the Outer Banks of North Carolina on May 31, 2004, and another off North Carolina on July 16, 2006.
     
     
     GREBES
     
     
150. Least Grebe  (*) (ph)  ______   AZ:jul  TX:mar,may
     Tachybaptus dominicus 
     
     SUBSPECIES THAT OCCURS NORTH OF MEXICO:
     Tachybaptus dominicus brachypterus  ______  subspecies from south Texas to Panama
     
     The Least Grebe was described by Linnaeus in 1766, the nominate subspecies in the Greater Antilles of the West Indies. 
     
     South of the US, the Least Grebe has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela.
     
     
151. Pied-billed Grebe  (*) (ph)  ______   AK:jun  AZ:jan,jul,aug  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO;apr,jul  DE:may  IA:mar  NC:aug  NE:mar,apr  TX:mar,apr,may  WA:sep  WY:apr
     Podilymbis podiceps
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Podilymbis podiceps podiceps  ______  subspecies from Canada to Central America and the West Indies
     
     The Pied-billed Grebe was described by Linnaeus in 1758.  
     
     South of the US, the Pied-billed Grebe has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Venezuela. 
     
     
152. Horned Grebe  (*) (ph)  ______  AK:may  AZ:aug,sep  BC:sep  CA:sep  WA:sep  
     Podiceps auritus cornutus
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Podiceps auritus cornutus  ______  subspecies from Canada to Texas, migratory
     
     The Horned Grebe was described by Linnaeus in 1758, the nominate subspecies in Eurasia, where Podiceps auritus is called the Slavonian Grebe.  
     
     Outside North America, the Horned, or Slavonian, Grebe has been seen during FONT tours in Iceland, Japan, Sweden, and south of the US in Mexico (Sonora).   
     
     
153. Eared Grebe (*) (ph) ______  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  NE:mar  TX:apr,may  WA:sep  WY:apr 
     Podiceps nigricollis 
     
     Another name for Podiceps nigricollis is the Black-necked Grebe. That name is applied in Eurasia. 
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Podiceps nigricollis californicus  ______  subspecies from Canada to Central America, migratory
     
     Outside North America, the Eared, or Black-necked, Grebe has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and south of the US in Honduras, Mexico (Sonora). 
     
     
154. Red-necked Grebe  (*) (ph) ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  BC:sep  WA:sep
     Podiceps grisegena
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Pocideps grisegena holboellii  ______  subspecies in North America and northern Asia
     
     Outside North America, the Red-necked Grebe has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Sweden.
     
     
     
     Above & below: Red-necked Grebes
     (photos by Howard Eskin)
     
     
     
      
     
155. Western Grebe (*) (ph) ______ CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  KS:apr  TX:apr,may  WA:sep  WY:apr
     Aechmophorus occidentalis
     
     SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
     Aechmophorus occidentalis occidentalis  ______  subspecies in Canada and the US
     
     South of the US, the Western Grebe has been seen during a FONT tour in Mexico (Sonora).
     
     The Western Grebe and the Clark's Grebe (below) were conspecific.
     
     
     
     Western Grebe
     
     
156. Clark's Grebe (*) ______ AZ:aug  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  NE:apr  TX:apr,may  WA:sep  
     Aechmophorus clarkii
     
     SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
     Aechmophorus clarkii transitionalis  ______  subspecies in the western US; described in 1986
     
     
     FLAMINGO and STORKS
     
     
157. American Flamingo  (ph)  ______  (r/US)
     Phoenicopterus ruber  (monotypic)
     
     This species breeds in the southern Bahamas, Cuba, and along the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Birds, apparently from these populations, occur rarely in south Florida, and have more rarely in south Texas.
     
     The American Flamingo was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
     
     South of the US, the American Flamingo has been seen during FONT tours in the Dominican Republic, the Galapagos Islands, Haiti, Mexico (the Yucatan), Puerto Rico (where rare), Venezuela.
     
     
158. Wood Stork  (ph)  ______ FL:apr
     Mycteria americana  (monotypic)
     
     The Wood Stork was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
     
     South of the US, the Wood Stork has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela..
      
     
159. Jabiru  (ph) _____  (r/NA)
     Jabiru mycteria
     
     The Jabiru is a Central & South American species, more common in South America. Has occurred rarely in southern Texas, and there's one record for Oklahoma.
     
     South of the US, the Jabiru has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Venezuela.
     
     
     IBISES and SPOONBILL
     
     
160. American White Ibis  (*) (ph)  ______  FL:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  TX:mar,apr,may
     Eudocimus albus  (monotypic)
     
     The American White Ibis was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
     
     South of the US, the American White Ibis has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela. 
     
     
161. Glossy Ibis  (*) (ph)  ______  DE:apr,may  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  TX:may
     Plegadis falcinellus  (monotypic)
     
     The Glossy Ibis was described by Linnaeus in 1766.
     
     Outside North America, the Glossy Ibis has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Spain, Turkey, and south of the US in Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico (where rare), Venezuela.
     
     
     
     Glossy Ibis in breeding plumage
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
     
     
162. White-faced Ibis  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:jul,aug,sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  KS:apr  NM:apr  TX:mar,apr,may  WY:apr 
     Plegadis chihi  (monotypic)
     
     South of the US, the White-faced Ibis has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico.
     
     
     
     White-faced Ibis in breeding plumage
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
      
     
163. Roseate Spoonbill  (*) (ph)  ______  FL:apr  TX:mar,apr,may
     Ajaia ajaja  (monotypic)
     
     The Roseate Spoonbill was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
     
     South of the US, the Roseate Spoonbill has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Venezuela.  
     
     
     BITTERNS, HERONS, EGRETS 
     
     
164. American Bittern  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:jan  CA:sep  DE:apr,may
     Botaurus lentiginosus  (monotypic)
     
     South of the US, the American Bittern has been seen during a FONT tour in Puerto Rico (where rare).
     
     
     
     American Bittern
     (photo by Kim Steininger)
     
     
165. Eurasian Bittern  ______  (r/NA)
     Botaurus stellaris
     
     The Eurasian Bittern, a bird of mid-latitude Europe and Asia, has been said to have been present in the western Aleutian islands of Alaska, on Buldir Island, June 14-25, 2012.
     If so, it was the first record of the species in North America. Even though photos of the bird were poor, it does seem to have been a valid occurrence.
     
     Outside North America, the Eurasian Bittern has been found during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Turkey.     
     
     
166. Least Bittern  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:aug  DE:may  TX:apr
     Ixobrychus exilis
     
     SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
     Ixobrychus exilis exilis  ______  subspecies in North America, migrating south to Central America and the West Indies
     
     South of the US, the Least Bittern has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico.
     
     
     
     Least Bittern
     (photo by Doris Potter)
     
     
167. Yellow Bittern ______  (r/NA)
     Ixobrychus sinensis
     
     An Asian species. A specimen at Attu, in the Aleutians, Alaska in May 1989.
     
     Outside North America, the Yellow Bittern has been seen during FONT tours in Japan.
     
     
168. Great Blue Heron  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:jan.jul,aug,sep  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:mar,apr,may  FL:apr  KS:apr  MD:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  NE:mar,apr  TX:mar,apr,may  VA:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr 
     Ardea herodias
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Ardea herodias herodias  ______  subspecies in eastern North America, and south in Central America, migratory
     Ardea herodias occidentalis  ______  subspecies in the southeast US to the West Indies
     Ardea herodias fannini  ______  subspecies in western North America
     
     The Great Blue Heron was described by Linnaeus in 1758.    
     
     South of the US, the Great Blue Heron has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Venezuela. 
     
     
     
     A Great Blue Heron
     (photo by Howard Eskin, during an Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Delaware, with Armas Hill in December 2011) 
     
     
     "Great White Heron" (*) ______  FL:apr  NC:aug 
     Ardea herodias  
     
     The "Great White Heron" is a white morph of the Great Blue Heron.
     
     During a FONT North Carolina Tour in August 1994, a "Great White Heron" was present at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge along the NC Outer Banks.
     
     South of the US, the "Great White Heron" has been seen during FONT tours in Mexico (the Yucatan). 
     
     
     "Wurdemann's Heron"  (*)  ______  FL:apr  
     
     The "Wurdemann's Heron" is a hybrid between the "Ward's Great Blue Heron" and the "Great White Heron", which, as noted above, is a morph of the Great Blue Heron. 
     It is found in the Florida Keys.
     
     The "Wurdemann's Heron" is like a Great Blue Heron but with a pure white head and without a black plume.
       
     
169. Grey Heron  (ph)  ______  (r/NA)
     Ardea cinerea
     
     The Grey Heron is an Old World species. 1 found dead in Newfoundland on October 11, 1996 was first thought to be a Great Blue Heron.  
     There have been sightings on St. Paul Island, in the Pribilofs, Alaska in 1999 (in August) and in 2007 (in October).  
     
     The Grey Heron was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
     
     Outside North America, the Grey Heron has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, the Canary Islands, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey. 
     Notably, in Iceland, the Grey Heron is not a breeding bird. Those seen there have generally been from Norway, as part of a post-breeding dispersal later in the year.      
     
     
170. Great Egret  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:jul,aug  CA:sep  CO:jul  DE:apr,may  FL:apr  MD:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  TX:mar,apr,may  VA:mar  WA:sep
     Ardea alba  (was Casmerodius alba) 
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Ardea alba egretta  ______  subspecies from Canada to Patagonia in southern South America
     
     The Great Egret was described by Linnaeus in 1758, the nominate subspecies in Europe, Asia, Africa.   
     
     Outside North America, the Great Egret, or Great White Egret, has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden (where rare), Turkey, 
     and south of the US in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama. Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Venezuela.
     
     
     
     Great Egret in breeding plumage
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
     
     
171. Intermediate Egret ______  (r/US)
     Mesophoyx (formerly Egretta) intermedia 
     
     An east Asian species. In Alaska, a freshly deceased body of this bird was found on Buldir Island on May 30, 2006.
     
     Outside North America, the Intermediate Egret has been found during FONT tours in Japan.
       
     
172. Snowy Egret  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:aug,sep  CA:sep  CO:apr  DE:apr,may  FL:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  TX:mar,apr,may  WY:apr
     Egretta thula brewsteri
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Egretta thula thula  ______  subspecies from the eastern and southern US to northern Chile and Argentina
     Egretta thula brewsteri  ______  subspecies from the western and southeastern US to central Chile and Argentina 
     
     South of the US, the Snowy Egret has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Venezuela.
     
     
     
     Above & below: Snowy Egrets in breeding plumage
     (photos by Howard Eskin)
     
     
     
      
     
173. Little Blue Heron  (*) (ph)  ______  DE:apr,may  FL:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  TX:mar,apr,may
     Egretta caerulea  (monotypic)
     
     The Little Blue Heron was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
     
     South of the US, the Little Blue Heron has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Chile (far-north), Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Venezuela. 
     
     
     
     A juvenile Little Blue Heron
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
      
     
174. Tricolored Heron  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:aug  DE:may  FL:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  TX:mar,apr,may  
     Egretta tricolor
     
     SUBSPECIES NORTH OF SOUTH AMERICA: 
     Egretta tricolor ruficollis  ______  subspecies in eastern & southern US to northwest South America
     Egretta tricolor occidentalis  ______  subspecies in northwestern Mexico and the southwestern US 
     
     South of the US, the Tricolored Heron has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Venezuela.  
     
     A former name for Egretta tricolor was the Louisiana Heron. 
     
     
175. Reddish Egret  (*) (ph)  ______  FL:apr  NC:aug  TX:apr,may  (2 morphs: white & dark) 
     Egretta rufescens 
     
     SUBSPECIES NORTH OF MEXICO:
     Egretta rufescens rufescens  ______  subspecies in the southern US, much of Mexico, and the West Indies 
     
     During the FONT North Carolina Tour in August 1994, a Reddish Egret was at a pond by the Bodie island Lighthouse along the NC Outer Banks.
     
     South of the US, the Reddish Egret has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Puerto Rico (where rare).
     
     
     
     Above: a juvenile dark-morph Reddish Egret in New Jersey in August 2012,
     the second record in that state
     Below: Both birds are Reddish Egrets. A dark morph & a white morph, both adults,
     and photographed during a Focus On Nature Tour. 
     (upper photo by Howard Eskin; lower photo by Marie Gardner)
     
     
     
     
     
176. Little Egret  (*) (ph)  _____  (r/NA)  VA:may   
     Egretta garzetta
     
     The Little Egret is an Old World species. It has occurred rarely along the East Coast of North America, from Newfoundland south to the US mid-Atlantic states, in the spring & summer. 
     Further south, in the West Indies, it has been breeding, for a number of years, in Barbados.
     
     The Little Egret was described by Linnaeus in 1766.
     
     Outside North America, the Little Egret has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Spain, Turkey, and south of the US in Barbados, Dominica (where rare), Saint Lucia (where rare).
       
     
177. Western Reef Heron ______  (r/NA)
     Egretta gularis
     
     A species in the western Old World. A dark morph was on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts from April 26 to September 13, 1983. Another dark morph summered in western Newfoundland in 2005.  
     
     
178. Chinese Egret  (t3)  ______  (r/NA)  
     Egretta eulophotes
     
     The Chinese Egret is a rare east Asian species. There is a specimen from Agattu Island, Alaska, June 16, 1974.
     
     Outside North America, the Chinese Egret has been seen during FONT tours in Japan, including Hegura Island.  
     
     Another name for Egretta eulophotes has been the Swinhoe's Egret. 
     
     
179. Western Cattle Egret  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:aug  CO:apr,jul  DE:apr,may  FL:apr (DT)  KS:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  TX:apr,may
     Bubulcus ibis  (monotypic)
     
     The Eastern Cattle Egret, Bubulcus coromandus, occurs in southern & eastern Asia.
     
     The Western Cattle Egret was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
     
     Outside North America, the Western Cattle Egret has been seen during FONT tours in Spain, Turkey. 
     The Eastern Cattle Egret, Bubulcus coromandus, has been seen during FONT tours in Japan. 
     
     South of the US, the Western Cattle Egret has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Venezuela.
     
     
     
     Western Cattle Egrets
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
     
     
180. Green Heron  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:jan,jul,aug,sep  CA:sep  CO:apr  DE:may  FL:apr  MD:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  NM:apr  TX:mar,apr,may  WA:sep
     Butorides virescens 
     
     SUBSPECIES OCCURRING NORTH OF MEXICO & THE WEST INDIES:
     Butorides virescens virescens  ______  subspecies in eastern North America and Central America, with some migrating south to Panama
     Butorides virescens anthonyi  ______  subspecies in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico
     
     The Green Heron was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
     
     South of the US, the Green Heron has been seen during FONT tours in Barbados, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Venezuela.
     
     
     
     Green Heron
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
       
     
181. Chinese Pond Heron  ______  (r/NA)
     Ardeola bacchus
     
     The Chinese Pond Heron is an east Asian species. An adult, in breeding plumage, was on St. Paul Island, in the Pribilofs, Alaska, in August 1996.
     
     Outside North America, the Chinese Pond Heron has been seen during FONT tours in Japan on Hegura Island. 
     
     
182. Black-crowned Night Heron  (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:jul,aug,sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:may  KS:apr  NC:Lmay,jun,jul,aug  NM:apr  TX:mar,apr,may  WA:sep  WY:apr
     Nycticorax nycticorax
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Nycticorax nycticorax hoactii  ______  subspecies from Canada to Argentina, also Hawaii
     
     The Black-crowned Night Heron was described by Linnaeus in 1758, the nominate subspecies of Eurasia & Africa.  
     
     Outside North America, the Black-crowned Night Heron has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, Spain, Turkey and south of the US in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Venezuela.
     
     
     
     Above: an adult Black-crowned Night Heron
     Below: a juvenile
     (photos by Howard Eskin)
     
     
     
     
     
183. Yellow-crowned Night Heron  (*) (ph)  ______  FL:apr  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  TX:may
     Nyctanassa violacea
     
     SUBSPECIES OCCURRING NORTH OF MEXICO & THE WEST INDIES:
     Nyctanassa violacea violacea  ______  subspecies in the eastern and central US and eastern Central America
     
     The Yellow-crowned Night Heron was described by Linnaeus in 1758.  
     
     South of the US, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Venezuela.
     
     
     
     Above & below: Yellow-crowned Night Herons
     Above, an adult; below, an immature
     (upper photo by Abram Fleishman; lower photo by Howard Eskin)
     
     
     
     
     
184. Bare-throated Tiger Heron  (ph) ______  (r/US)
     Tigrisoma mexicanum
     
     The Bare-throated Tiger Heron is a Mexican & Central American species. One was found at the Bentson-Rio Grande Valley Park in south Texas on December 21, 2009.
     
     South of the US, the Bare-throated Tiger Heron has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico.
     
     
     TROPICBIRDS and FRIGATEBIRDS 
         
     
185. White-tailed Tropicbird  (*) (ph)  ______  NCP:jun,aug
     Phaethon lepturus
     
     The White-tailed Tropicbird is a tropical oceanic species. It occurs rarely, but regularly, in the Gulf Stream off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and rarely at the Dry Tortugas, Florida, and elsewhere off the East Coast of North America. 
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICAN WATERS:
     Phaethon lepturus catesbyi  ______  subspecies nesting in the West Indies, Bahamas, and Bermuda  
     
     White-tailed Tropicbirds were seen during 4 of 5 FONT North Carolina pelagic trips in August 1997. During one of those trips, 3 were seen.  
     
     South of the US, the White-tailed Tropicbird has been seen during FONT tours in the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Jamaica, Puerto Rico.
       
     
186. Red-billed Tropicbird  (*) (ph)  ______  NCP:may
     Phaethon aethereus 
     
     The Red-billed Tropicbird is a tropical oceanic species. It occurs rarely off the southern California coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and off or along the Atlantic Coast, north to Massachusetts & Maine.  
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Phaethon aethereus mesonauta  ______  subspecies in the Caribbean Sea and northern Atlantic Ocean, and the eastern Pacific Ocean from off California to off Peru
     
     The Red-billed Tropicbird was described by Linnaeus in 1758, the nominate subspecies in the southern Atlantic Ocean.   
     
     During a FONT North Carolina pelagic trip in May 1998, an immature Red-billed Tropicbird was close to the boat on the water.
     
     South of the US, the Red-billed Tropicbird has been seen during FONT tours in the Ecuador (the offshore Isla de la Plata), Galapagos Islands, Saint Lucia.
      
     
187. Red-tailed Tropicbird  (*)  ______  (r/US)   CAP:sep
     Phaethon rubricauda 
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICAN WATERS:
     Phaethon rubricauda melanorhynchos  ______  subspecies in the northern Pacific Ocean
     
     An oceanic species, in the tropical and subtropical Pacific and Indian Oceans. It occurs as a rarity, usually well offshore, from California. 
     
     A single Red-tailed Tropicbird was seen during the pelagic trip out of Monterey, California that was part of the FONT West Coast tour in September 1995.   
     
     
188. Magnificent Frigatebird  (*) (ph)  ______  FL:apr (DT)  NCP:jun
     Fregata magnificens  (monotypic)  
     
     Magnificent Frigatebirds, seen at sea during FONT North Carolina pelagic trips in 1993 & 1995, were unusual over North Carolina waters.
     
     South of the US, the Magnificent Frigatebird has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Venezuela..
     
     
189. Great Frigatebird  ______  (r/US)
     Fregata minor 
     
     A species breeding in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. A North American specimen from Perry, Oklahoma on November 3, 1975, far away from the ocean. Offshore, two photographed birds were a male at Monterey Bay, California on October 13, 1978 and a female at the Farallon Islands, off the California coast, on March 14, 1992.       
     
     South of the US, the Great Frigatebird has been seen during FONT tours in the Galapagos Islands.
     
     
190. Lesser Frigatebird  ______  (r/US)
     Fregata ariel  
     
     A species in the southwest and central Pacific and Indian Oceans, with a few colonies in the South Atlantic Ocean. Has occurred at least once in North America, when an adult male was photographed at Deer Island, Maine on July 3, 1960. 
     
     
     BOOBIES and GANNET
      
     
191. Brown Booby  (*) (ph)  ______  (r/US)   FL:apr (DT)  NC:aug  NCP:aug
     Sula leucogaster 
     
     SUBSPECIES THAT OCCUR IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Sula leucogaster leucogaster  ______  subspecies in the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean
     Sula leucogaster brewsteri  ______  subspecies usually in western Mexico    
     
     Some Brown Boobies occur regularly in the Dry Tortugas area, Florida. Otherwise the species is rare north of Florida, in Gulf of Mexico, and north along the Atlantic Coast to Nova Scotia. 
     Also it is rarely in California and the southwest US, the race brewsteri.       
     
     During an FONT North Carolina pelagic trip in August 1994, a Brown Booby was seen offshore at the same time and place as a Loggerhead Sea Turtle. Another Brown Booby was seen during a FONT NC tour that month from shore (from Ocracoke Island).
     
     Outside North America, the Brown Booby has been seen during FONT tours in Japan, and south of the US in Brazil, Chile (where rare), Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent. 
     
     
     
     Brown Booby
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
     
     
192. Masked Booby  (*)  ______  (r/US)   FL:apr (DT)  NCP:jun 
     Sula dactylatra 
     
     SUBSPECIES THAT OCCURS IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Sula dactylata dactylatra  ______  subspecies in the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas, on Ascension Is. in the Atlantic
     
     In North America, this species breeds at the Dry Tortugas, Florida. It is uncommon in the Gulf of Mexico in the summer, and it occurs rarely in the Gulf Stream north to North Carolina. It is rare along the California coast, where it would need to be distinguished from the very-similar Nazca Booby. 
     
     South of the US, the Masked Booby has been seen during FONT tours in Puerto Rico (at & near Mona Island).
     
     
193. Nazca Booby  (ph) ______  (r/US)
     Sula granti  (monotypic)
     
     A recent "split" from the Masked Booby. An eastern tropical Pacific species that ranges north to Mexico. An immature bird landed on a ship off Baja California, Mexico, and rode to San Diego, California on May 29, 2001.
     Other past records of immature birds off southern and central California are problematic, from when the Nazca and Masked Boobies were conspecific.   
     
     South of the US, the Nazca Booby has been seen during FONT tours in Ecuador (the offshore Isla de la Plata), the Galapagos Islands.
     
     
194. Red-footed Booby  (ph) ______  (r/US)
     Sula sula
     
     The Red-footed Booby is a tropical oceanic species. It occurs as a North American rarity at the Dry Tortugas, Florida, and along the California coast.
     
     SUBSPECIES THAT OCCUR IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Sula sula sula  ______  subspecies in the Caribbean
     Sula sula websteri  ______  subspecies in the eastern Pacific including off the coast of western Mexico 
     
     The Red-footed Booby was described by Linnaeus in 1766.
     
     South of the US, the Red-footed Booby has been seen during FONT tours in the Cayman Islands (a nesting colony), Dominica (at sea), Ecuador (the offshore Isla de la Plata), the Galapagos Islands, Puerto Rico (at sea).  
         
     
195. Blue-footed Booby  (ph) ______  (r/US)
     Sula nebouxii
     
     The Blue-footed Booby breeds on islands in the Gulf of California, or the Sea of Cortez, in Mexico. From that population, it occurs rarely and irregularly in inland California, mostly at the Salton Sea, and in southwest Arizona in the late-summer and fall. It also occurs rarely along the California coast, and has so more rarely in Texas and Washington State. Most years, the species is not present in the US.
     
     SUBSPECIES THAT OCCURS IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Sula nebouxii nebouxii  ______  subspecies from Mexico, sometimes California, to Peru, rarely northern Chile 
     
     South of the US, the Blue-footed Booby has been seen during FONT tours in Chile (where rare), Ecuador (the offshore Isla de la Plata), the Galapagos Islands, Mexico (Sonora), Panama. 
           
     
196. Northern Gannet  (*) (ph)  ______  DE:apr,may,jun  FL:apr (DT)  NC:may,jun  NF:jul  NCP:may,jun  NJP:may,aug,nov,dec
     Morus (formerly Sula) bassanus  (monotypic)
     
     The Northern Gannet was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
     
     Outside North America, the Northern Gannet has been seen during FONT tours in Gibraltar, Iceland, Spain.
     
     
     PELICANS, CORMORANTS, ANHINGA 
     
     
197. American White Pelican (*) (ph)  ______ CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  MD:apr  NE:mar,apr  TX:mar,apr,may  WA:sep  WY:apr
     Pelecanus erythrorhynchos  (monotypic)
     
     South of the US, the American White Pelican has been seen during FONT tours in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico.  
     
     
198. Brown Pelican (*) (ph)  ______  AZ:jul,aug  CA:sep  DE:may,jun  FL:apr (DT)  NC:may,jun,jul,aug  TX:mar,apr,may  WA:sep
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis  ______  subspecies in the eastern US 
     Pelecanus occidentalis californicus  ______  subspecies in the western US and western Mexico
     
     The Brown Pelican was described by Linnaeus in 1766, the nominate subspecies in the West Indies.
     
     South of the US, the Brown Pelican has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the Galapagos islands, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Venezuela. 
     
     
     
     Above & below: Brown Pelicans, two different subspecies
     Above: Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis
     Below: Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
     The lower photograph was taken by the Sea of Cortez in Sonora, Mexico.  
     (upper photo by Howard Eskin; lower photo by Abram Fleishman)
     
     
     
     
     
199. Neotropic Cormorant  (*) (ph)  ______  TX:mar,apr,may
     Phalacrocorax brasilianus 
     
     SUBSPECIES THAT OCCURS IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Phalacrocorax brasilianus mexicanus  ______  subspecies from the southern US to Costa Rica, also Cuba
     
     South of the US, the Neotropic Cormorant has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica (where rare), Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela. 
     
     
200. Double-crested Cormorant  (*)  ______  AK:jun  AZ:aug  BC:sep  CA:sep  CO:apr,jul  DE:mar,apr,may  FL:apr (DT)  IA:mar  KS:apr  MD:apr  NC:may,jun,jui,aug  NE:mar,apr  NF:jul  TX:mar,apr,may  VA:mar  WA:sep  WY:apr
     Phalacocorax auritus
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Phalacocorax auritus auritus  ______  subspecies in central and eastern Canada and the northeastern US, south along the Atlantic coast & in the northern Caribbean, migratory
     Phalacocorax auritus floridaanus  ______  subspecies in the southern and southeastern US, south to the northern Caribbean, migratory
     Phalacocorax auritus cincinatus  ______  subspecies from southern Alaska to southwestern Canada
     Phalacocorax auritus albaciliatus  ______  subspecies from southwestern Canada to California
     
     South of the US, the Double-crested Cormorant has been seen during FONT tours in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico.
     
     
     
     Double-crested Cormorants
     (photo by Howard Eskin)
      
     
201. Great Cormorant  (*)  ______  DE:mar
     Phalacrocorax carbo
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Phalacrocorax carbo carbo  ______  subspecies from eastern North America to western Europe
     
     The Great Cormorant was described by Linnaeus in 1758.   
     
     Outside North America, the Great Cormorant has been seen during FONT tours in Bulgaria, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey.
     
     
202. Brandt's Cormorant  (*)  ______  BC:sep  CA:sep  WA:sep
     Phalacrocorax penicillatus  (monotypic)
     
     
203. Pelagic Shag  (*)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)  BC:sep  CA:sep  WA:sep  
     Leucocarbo (or Phalacrocorax) pelagicus 
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Leucocarbo pelagicus pelagicus  ______  subspecies on northern Pacific islands
     Leucocarbo pelagicus resplendens  ______  subspecies from British Colombia to Mexico
     
     Leucocarbo, or Phalacrocorax pelagicus is also called Pelagic Cormorant.
     
     Outside North America, the Pelagic Shag has been seen during FONT tours in Japan.
     
     
204. Red-faced Shag  (*)  ______  AK:may,jun (PI)
     Leucocarbo (or Phalacrocorax) urile  (monotypic)
     
     Leucocarbo, or Phalacrocorax urile is also called Red-faced Cormorant.
     
     Outside North America, the Red-faced Shag has been seen during FONT tours in Hokkaido, Japan. 
     
     
205. Anhinga  (*) (ph)  ______  FL:apr  TX:apr
     Anhinga anhinga 
     
     SUBSPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA:
     Anhinga anhinga leucogaster  ______  subspecies from the southern US to Colombia
     
     The Anhinga was described by Linnaeus in 1761. 
     
     South of the US, the Anhinga has been seen during FONT tours in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela.
      
     

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