Lesser Crested Tern

How to identify

Field marks

1. Bill long, pointed and orange
2. Black cap and black legs in summer plumage
3. Rump gray, an identification feature in flight
4. Forehead turns white in winter plumage

Male, female and young

Juvenile has a yellow-orange bill and is paler overall than Sandwich Tern of the same age, with only faint dark crescents on the upper back feathers.

Voice

Loud creaking calls, similar to those of Sandwich Tern.

Similar species

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern has a black bill with a yellow tip; Lesser Crested Tern has an orange bill.

Chinese Crested Tern

Chinese Crested Tern has a black bill tip.

Greater Crested Tern

Greater Crested Tern is larger with a thicker bill; it also has a gray rump but darker upperparts and a yellowish bill.

Where and when it's recorded

Most records: Australia, Sri Lanka, India

Lesser Crested Tern has been recorded at 290 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 57 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

1. Negombo - Morawala Beach - seawatchingSri Lanka581 records
2. Pulicat Lake – [TN Section]India559 records
3. Eilat north beachIsrael450 records

Countries and regions with the most records

AustraliaSri LankaIndiaThailandKenyaSenegalIsraelSingapore

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

Questions