NPS National Capital Region Birds of Rock Creek Park
Birds of Rock Creek Park
Caspian Tern
The Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia, formerly Sterna caspia;syn. Hydroprogne tschegrava, Helopus caspius) is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no subspecies accepted either. In New Zealand it is also known by the Maori name Taranui.
Herring Gull
The European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) is a large gull (up to 26 inches or 66 cm long). One of the best known of all gulls along the shores of western Europe, it was once abundant. It breeds across Northern Europe, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the Baltic states. Some European Herring Gulls, especially those resident in colder areas, ...more ↓
Great Black-backed Gull
The Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus), also known as the Greater Black-backed Gull or, informally, as the Black-back, is the largest member of the gull family. It breeds on the European and North American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic and is fairly sedentary, though some Black-backs move farther south or inland to large lakes or reservoirs.
Laughing Gull
The Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. It breeds on the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Northernmost populations migrate further south in winter, and this species occurs as a rare vagrant to western Europe. (There was an influx into North-west Europe in late October 2005 when at ...more ↓
Forster's Tern
The Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) is a member of the tern family Sternidae. It breeds inland in North America and winters south to the Caribbean and northern South America.
Spotted Sandpiper
The Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius syn. Actitis macularia) is a small shorebird, 18–20 cm long. Together with its sister species, the Common Sandpiper (A. hypoleucos) they make up the genus Actitis. They replace each other geographically; stray birds may settle down with breeders of the other species and hybridize.
American Woodcock
The American Woodcock (Scolopax minor), sometimes colloquially referred to as the Timberdoodle, is a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America. Woodcocks spend most of their time on the ground in brushy, young-forest habitats, where the birds' brown, black, and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage.
