Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis (Latham, 1787)
36–41 cmLength100 cmWingspan200 gWeight
It has a yellow tip to its black bill and a fluffy black crest at the back of the head.
Busiest months: April · Most records: United States, United Kingdom, Spain
Looks like Chinese Crested Tern, Lesser Crested Tern
How to identify
Field marks
- Bill slender, pointed and black with a yellow tip
- Black crest fluffy
- Upperparts pale silver-gray; underparts white
- Legs short and black
Male, female and young
Juvenile has a blackish bill without a yellow tip, sometimes yellow at the base of the bill, and scaly markings on the back and wings.
Voice
Loud, rough calls like “kear-ik” or “kerr ink”.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: April · Most records: United States, United Kingdom, Spain
Sandwich Tern has been recorded at 1,267 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 133 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Fort De Soto ParkUnited States13,256 records
- Bolivar Flats Shorebird SanctuaryUnited States4,917 records
- Rollover PassUnited States4,270 records
More places
- South Padre Is. – WBC/Conv. Center/Laguna Madre TrailUnited States4,055 records
- Desembocadura del Guadalhorce – ÁreaSpain3,403 records
- Minsmere RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom3,230 records
- Huguenot Memorial City ParkUnited States2,617 records
- San Carlos Bay/Bunche Beach PreserveUnited States2,512 records
- South Padre Is. – Birding and Nature CenterUnited States2,450 records
- PN Sintra-Cascais – Cabo RasoPortugal2,319 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is very closely related to the lesser crested tern (T. bengalensis), Chinese crested tern (T. bernsteini), Cabot's tern (T. acuflavidus), and elegant tern (T. elegans) and has been known to interbreed with both elegant and lesser crested terns. It breeds in the Palearctic from Europe to the Caspian Sea, and winters in the Mediterranean and on the coasts of Africa, India, and Sri Lanka.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Sandwich Tern?
The Sandwich Tern is about 36–41 cm long, with a wingspan of 100 cm and weighs around 200 g.
Where does the Sandwich Tern live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic, Africa: coastal northwest to southeastern Europe from British Isles and Baltic Sea to eastern Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean, Black and eastern, southern Caspian seas. It is most often recorded in United States, United Kingdom and Spain.
When is the best time to see the Sandwich Tern?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Sandwich Tern endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Sandwich Tern as Least Concern.
What does the Sandwich Tern eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Sandwich Tern in?
It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 36–41 cm
- Wingspan
- 100 cm
- Weight
- 200 g
- Habitat
- Ocean
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 288 mm
- Tail
- 129 mm
- Bill
- 60 mm
- Tarsus
- 26 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic, Africa: coastal northwest to southeastern Europe from British Isles and Baltic Sea to eastern Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean, Black and eastern, southern Caspian seas
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Laridae
- Genus
- Thalasseus
Other birds in the genus Thalasseus
Cabot's TernThalasseus acuflavidus
Elegant TernThalasseus elegans
Lesser Crested TernThalasseus bengalensis
West African Crested TernThalasseus albididorsalis
Royal TernThalasseus maximus
Greater Crested TernThalasseus bergii
Chinese Crested TernThalasseus bernsteini
African SkimmerRynchops flavirostris
Indian SkimmerRynchops albicollis
Black SkimmerRynchops niger
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Andrey Kuzmin. ↗
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