This oceanic species nests on the Dry Tortugas and on other Caribbean and tropical Atlantic Ocean Islands. It is highly pelagic and commonly found far off-shore along the Gulf of Mexico and southern Atlantic coasts. It is not a bird species likely to be detected in the Smokies more than every few decades. This species has been found washed inland by powerful hurricanes and tropical storms in other locations, such as several birds seen on area lakes while Tropical Storms Francis and Ivan passed through the area in fall of 2004. The related Black Tern (Chlidonias niger ) has been observed at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, and Laurel Lake, Tennessee, both within 12 kilometers of the park, but has yet to be observed within the park boundary.

In Park: The one park record is of an injured bird on the Lynn Camp Prong at the end of July 1926 after an early season severe hurricane (Stupka 1963).

References:

Stupka, A. 1963. Notes on the Birds of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

Gough, G. A., Sauer, J. R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.