The odds are very long against it, but it would be good to know more
about lesser crested terns when deciding whether or not the Hoover bird
is a royal tern. There are certain features to look for, and especially
to look for on photos, to help examine this possibility. Could be there
are enough good photos now made public to support a final ID.
        Having neither the money to vacation in the normal range of the LCT,
nor service in the French Foreign Legion, I have no first-hand
experience, but I peeked into Olsen and Larsson's "Terns of Europe and
North America" to consult the accumulated knowledge.
        A lot of the ID features involve comparisons between the two species
which it would be risky to undertake for those unfamiliar with both; I
guess the place to see them side by side is in West Africa, not Ohio.
However, we did see--and I hope photograph--the tern in  immediate
proximity with the familiar ring-billed gull. Here are measurements from
Olsen and Larsson, and Harrison's "Seabirds":
        LCT:  length 35-37 cm,  wingspan 92-105
       Royal:  length 45-50 cm, wingspan 125-135
  Ringbilled:  length 45-53 cm, wingspan 121-177
        So, royal tern matches very closely in these measurements the
ring-billed gull, and both are about 1/3 larger than LCT. Photos of the
Hoover gull with ring-bills should help a lot here.
        O&L say differentiation even where both birds are common is "often
difficult," but that "LCT is clearly smaller, with slimmer bill and
uniform grey upperparts [incl. both rump and tail]. The overall
impression is of an 'orange-billed Sandwich Tern,' whereas Royal Tern is
a "Caspian in miniature' with white rump and tail."
        As to adult winter plumage, "LCT has white head with black mask similar
to Royal's. Compared with Royal, the mask is generally broader, and more
solid in front of the eye; the white eye-ring is therefore distinct only
behind the eye, and narrow (usually barely visible) in front of the
eye...the bill is uniformly yellow, similar in color to that of Royal."
        There is much, much more detail in Olsen & Larsson, including many
photos. Because not everyone has this reference, I offer these excerpts
of what seem to me the likeliest helpful differences that we can study
in the many good photos we have available, and look for in subsequent
encounters with this bird.
        It would be interesting to hear comments on these features from those
who studied this bird in the field and in the photos. If we don't have
good side-by-side photos with gulls, it would be great if someone could
get some!
Bill Whan
Columbus


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