General

Sandwich Tern: Only medium-sized tern with long slender black bill tipped with yellow; upperparts are very pale gray, nearly white, and underparts are white. Black crown has a short black crest. White tail is deeply forked; legs and feet are black. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has white forehead and darker primaries. Juvenile has faint streaking on weakly crested crown, gray chevrons on upperparts, and paler bill.

Range and Habitat

Sandwich Tern: Atlantic coast north to Virginia, and entire Gulf Coast.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"gwit-gwit", "skir-rick", "kehk", "ki-i wii wii"

Interesting Facts

 The Sandwich Tern was originally described by ornithologist John Latham in 1787 as Sterna sandvicensis, but was recently moved to its current genus Thalasseus following mitochondrial DNA studies.

 The current genus name is derived from the Greek Thalassa, "sea", and sandvicensis refers to Sandwich, Kent, Latham's type locality.

 It is not very aggressive toward potential predators, relying on the sheer density of the nests—often only 8–12 in apart— and nesting close to more aggressive species such as Arctic Terns and Black-headed Gulls to avoid predation.

 A group of sandwich terns are collectively known as a "hogey" of terns.

Author

David Lukas

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