The First Record of the White Tern (Gygis alba) in South Korea.

The White Tern (Gygis alba) is a pelagic tern species that has a wide distribution through tropical Pacific and Indian ocean. On August 4th, 2014, one specimen of exhausted White Tern was found in Gyesan-ri, Yeongdong-eup, Yeongdong-gun, Chungbuk province, South Korea (N 36°10’18”, E 127°46’38”) and it died a day after, while being kept for transportation to the wildlife rescue center. Based on the geographical distribution of subspecies and this specimen’s measurements, the bird found in Korea could be identified as G. a. candida, whose closest breeding colony is located at the northwest Pacific Ocean. A typhoon (NAKRI) passed through this area a day ago, suggesting that this oceanic bird flew off inland about 110 km away from the nearest coast by the typhoon, which is one of the common causes of avian vagrancy. This is the first record of this species in Korea.