A surprise sighting of a Southern Lapwing at Tennessee River National Wildlife Refuge established a Fourth North American Record and a Fourth State Record (photo by Frank Lehman).
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During a busy 2-week period there were 2 impressive Fourth North American Records established by birders, a Southern Lapwing in Tennessee, and a Great Crested Tern on the Big Island in Hawaii. Both sightings also established the Fourth Record in the respective state. American birders also documented 5 First State Records including a Streaked Shearwater offshore from New Jersey, a Great Kiskadee and a Roseate Tern in Alabama, a Virginia’s Warbler in Ohio, and a Tundra Bean Goose in Wyoming. New Second State Records were also recorded with a Crested Caracara in Wyoming, a Common Swift in New Jersey, and a Lesser Nighthawk in Washington – and there are many more exciting rare bird reports listed below!
NORTH AMERICAN RECORDS
Fourth North American Record Southern Lapwing – Tennessee River Refuge, Tennessee
Fourth North American Record Great Crested Tern – Kauna’oa Bay, Hawaii (the Big Island)
STATE & PROVINCIAL RECORDS
First State Record Streaked Shearwater – Delaware Bay, New Jersey
First State Record Great Kiskadee – Fort Morgan, Alabama
First State Record Roseate Tern – near Fort Morgan, Alabama
First State Record Virginia’s Warbler – Cleveland, Ohio
First State Record Tundra Bean Goose – Casper, Wyoming
Second State Record Crested Caracara – Grand Teton Park, Wyoming
Second State Record Common Swift – Cape May Point, New Jersey
Second State Record Lesser Nighthawk – Getty’s Cove, Washington
Third State Record Tufted Duck – Warm Springs, Montana
Fourth State Record Southern Lapwing – Tennessee River Refuge, Tennessee
Fourth State Record Great Crested Tern – Kauna’oa Bay, Hawaii (the Big Island)
Fourth Provincial Record Ross’s Goose – Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Fourth State Record Black-billed Magpie – Magee Marsh, Ohio
Fifth Provincial Record Black-throated Gray Warbler – Calgary, Alberta
Tenth Provincial Record Dickcissel – Grande Cache, Alberta
Eleventh State Record Scissor-tailed Flycatcher – Moscow, Idaho
Eleventh Provincial Record Lesser Goldfinch – Hinton, Alberta
REALLY RARE BIRDS
Bermuda Petrel – offshore Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Common Pochard – St. Paul Island, Pribilofs, Alaska
Brambling – Burnaby, British Columbia
Fork-tailed Flycatcher – Randalls Island, New York
White-winged Tern – Bay City State Park, Michigan
Thick-billed Vireo – Boca Raton, Florida
Ruff – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ruff – Little St. Simon’s Island, Georgia
Ruff – near Magee Marsh, Ohio
Tricolored Heron – Buckeye Lake, Ohio
Black-necked Stilt – Lanaudiere, Quebec
Green-tailed Towhee – Monteregie, Quebec
Say’s Phoebe – Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec
CONTINUING REALLY RARE BIRDS
Mottled Owl – Texas
Yellow-headed Caracara – Florida, Texas
Berylline Hummingbird – Arizona
Cattle Tyrant – Texas
Brown Jays – Texas
Flame-colored Tanager – Arizona
For more information, you can refer to the American Birding Association’s Rare Bird Alert at
Rare Bird Alert: May 23, 2025 - American Birding Association (aba.org) Special Thanks to the ABA for permitting us to use the ABA’s Rare Bird Alert as the basis to prepare this weekly or bi-weekly replay.
You can often find more information about individual rare bird sightings from the ABA state rare bird alert listserves that you can access at Birding News brought to you by American Birding Association - (aba.org) or at ABA Rare Bird Alert | Facebook