Tropical seabird, rarely seen in the US, spotted

By Helena Arjona

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    MITCHELL, Indiana (WLKY) — A tropical seabird has made a rare journey to Indiana.

A brown booby was spotted at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, Indiana, on Monday, said the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Interpretative naturalist Wade LaHue spotted the bird diving into the park’s lake to catch a fish, said IDNR.

“This species is not normally found in the United States, let alone Indiana,” assistant state ornithologist Amy Kearns said. An ornithologist is someone who studies birds.

The birds are most common in the Caribbean and nest mostly on islands, according to Cornell University.

IDNR said this species of bird has only been spotted in the state once before, in 2019 in Zionsville, which is around 100 miles away.

The bird has continued to stay at the state park and staff are encouraging visitors to respectfully stop by. Guests should give the bird space to rest and feed so it can eventually find its way back to its home in the ocean.

“It could leave at any time,” Kearns said.

Tickets to the park are $7 for in-state cars and $9 for out-of-state cars.

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