Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata)

Abundance: Occasional (1 record in 1 Tennessee county).

Status: Visitor during hurricane season (1 record); specimen (photograph--see link below).

Information on Records: 

12 July 2005 (1 alternate-plumaged adult--road casualty) Rt. 96 c. 5 km north of I-40, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman photo [of specimen], Barbara H. Stedman; Casteel 2005d), a product of the passage of remnants of Hurricane Dennis through the Region 11-13 July 2005; specimen to bird collection at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga ( UTCB # 146).

Habitat: Highly pelagic, so usually found near large bodies of water when displaced by hurricanes and tropical storms; its occurrence as a road casualty c. 8 km from the nearest large body of water (Center Hill Lake) was therefore unexpected.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Remarks: 

Counties with Observations (boldfaced):

To see a map (Figure 1) displaying the data in the table above, click on the boldfaced word in this sentence.

Literature Cited