Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Color Photograph: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 16 inches.

Adult Summer Plumage: Upper half of head black with a long tuft of hairlike feathers hanging over the back of the neck. Bill black with a yellow apex. Lower half of face white. Breast and undersides white. Wings gray. Tail weakly forked.

Adult Winter Plumage: Similar to the summer plumage, but head mostly white with a scruffy black tuft of feathers projecting or hanging from the back of the head and rest of head suffused with light gray.

Immature: Similar to the adult winter plumage. However the wings are mottled with brown and white and are not uniformly gray.

Similar Species:  The black bill with a yellow apex will distinguish the Sandwich Tern from all other North American tern species. The Royal Tern is similar, but has a yellow-orange bill and is slightly larger (18 to 20 inches in length).

Breeding Range (see map below): The Sandwich Tern has a local breeding range along the Atlantic Coast from Virginia to Florida and westward along the Gulf Coast to southeastern Texas. The species also occurs in Europe and Asia.

Overwintering Range:  See above.

Habitat: The Sandwich Tern is found on coastal beaches and on islands.

Food: Small fish, squid, and crustaceans.

Behavior:  The Sandwich Tern feeds primarily far offshore, making short, petite dives for their food. The voice is a loud, harsh kirrik.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 2 black-blotched green eggs. The eggs are laid in a depression in open sand. The nests are often mixed with those of the Royal Tern.