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Sandwich Tern

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Least Concern (IUCN Red List)Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
Sandwich Tern, photographed by Charles J. Sharp

Photo: Charles J. Sharp · Wikimedia · CC-BY-SA 4.0 (licence)

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Call and song

About the Sandwich Tern

Pale medium-sized tern with a geographically variable bill pattern: black with a distinct yellow tip in most of its range; entirely yellow in the Caribbean and parts of South America. Shows a shaggy black cap in breeding plumage; nonbreeding birds develop white forehead. Strictly coastal; most commonly found on beaches and estuaries, often mixed with flocks of other terns. Harsh grating calls similar to other terns.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 155 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

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