Guide to Boreal Birds
Gull-like Birds Overview
Smallest of the three jaegers, the Long-tailed is rarely seen, presumably because it migrates chiefly in mid-ocean. Although occasionally, like other jaegers, it harries terns and gulls, it feeds mainly by catching its own fish, taking flying insects in the air, and sometimes preying on small birds. On the breeding grounds lemmings are its staple food.
Description
21" (53 cm). Adult similar to light-phase Parasitic Jaeger but smaller, more graceful, and with very long central tail feathers (up to 6"). Upperparts paler than in other jaegers, and blackish cap smaller and more sharply defined. Flight more buoyant.
Voice
A harsh kreeah; other yelping and rattling notes on breeding grounds.
Nesting
2 olive-brown eggs, with brown spots, in a grass-lined nest placed either on bare ground or among rocks.
Habitat
Breeds on tundra and stony hillsides; at other times ranges over open ocean.
Range/Migration
Breeds in Alaska and Canada north of Arctic Circle; winters far offshore in both Atlantic and Pacific oceans.