RECORD #: 62-B-06  

IDAHO RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SP--------------------- LOC----------------- DATE-------------- DECISION-----------------

Species reported: Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus)

Date and time of record: Sept 10, 2005; 630pm

Reporter: Eric Hallingstad, Boise State University, Dept of Biology, 1910 University Ave., Boise, ID 83725; hallingstadec@hotmail.com

Other observers: Evonne Shroeder, Gavin Emmons, Alacia Welch, Jen Struthers; in addition, Jay Carlisle (jaycarlisle@boisestate.edu) was reached by phone while the bird was in-hand and talked us through jaeger ID criteria and what views to capture on film. He also concurred with identification once having viewed pictures.

Date report prepared: Dec 15, 2005 (updated 11-5-06)

Locality: Lucky Peak (Boise Foothills), Ada Co.

Habitat: mixed montane habitats (shrubsteppe, Douglas fir forest, and mountain deciduous shrub) at about 5700’

Conditions: Sunny with mild temperatures; light winds. The bird was captured at Idaho Bird Observatory’s hawk-trapping station; thus, it was seen in-hand.

Did you takes notes? No, but many pictures obtained.

Did you consult a field guide or other reference work? If so, which guide(s)? During observation: National Geographic and Sibley

Description of bird: A falcon-shaped bird with long slender wings and a more delicate flight resembling a gull or even a tern. See "How & when…" below.Eric – fill in here.

Behavior of bird: the bird flew into the trapping station, clearly attracted to the flapping of the lure birds (made to act like injured birds). It flew around the station a couple times and eventually landed on the ground about 20’ from both the dove and sparrow lure birds. After flapping the sparrow to attract its attention, the jaeger flew over to the sparrow and hopped onto it and then was captured in a bow net.

How and when did you positively identify the bird, and what clinched the identification for you? The bird was identified after consultation with field guides and the other observers listed above. We were reaching a consensus on Long-tailed and then we called Jay to confirm. With Jay on the phone, we went through key ID features such as the pale shafts being restricted to the outer 2 primaries, the two central tail feathers being slightly longer than the others and blunt-tipped, and that the nail on the bill covered about half of the bill. Also, the size of the bird (small for a jaeger), especially having the bird in hand, was pointing towards Long-tailed.

List similar species and how you eliminated them: Similar species considered include Parasitic & Pomarine Jaeger. Pomarine Jaeger would be much larger & heavier-bodied than this bird and would either have racquet-shaped tail extensions (adult) or minimal (immature) tail extensions. An immature Parasitic Jaeger is more similar in size & shape to Long-tailed but differs in having very short & fine-tipped tail extensions, heavier body & more powerful flight, and more reddish-brown appearance to the plumage in a dark-morph juvenile.

What is your experience with this or similar species? none

Describe your general birding experience: 5+ years

Were photos, video, and/or audio obtained? Yes, please see attached.