Sandwich Tern
Sandwich TernSandwich TernSandwich TernSandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Silhouette: JJ Harrison (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Darién National Park
46 Verified sightings at Darién National Park From 2019 to 2026
7,535 Verified sightings across all 52 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Sandwich Tern

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.

The Sandwich tern is a medium-large tern with pale silvery-grey upperparts, white underparts, a yellow-tipped black bill, and a shaggy black crest which becomes less extensive in winter with a white crown. Young birds bear grey and blackish scalloped plumage on their backs and wings. It is a vocal bird. It nests in a ground scrape and lays one to three eggs.

Like all Thalasseus terns, the Sandwich tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, usually in marine environments, and the offering of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display. The terns are small to medium-sized seabirds, gull-like in appearance, but usually with a more delicate, lighter build and shorter, weaker legs. They have long,... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Darién National Park

Royal Tern
LC

Royal Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus maximus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus atricilla

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Brown Noddy

Brown Noddy

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anous stolidus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Black Tern
LC

Black Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias niger

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Large-billed Tern
LC

Large-billed Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phaetusa simplex

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Sooty Tern
LC

Sooty Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Onychoprion fuscatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Gull-billed Tern
LC

Gull-billed Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gelochelidon nilotica

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Sabine's Gull
LC

Sabine's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Xema sabini

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Southern Lapwing
LC

Southern Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus chilensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Wattled Jacana
LC

Wattled Jacana

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Jacana jacana

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~50%
2 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
3 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
4 Península Valdés 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
5 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
6 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
7 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~10%
9 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
10 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
11 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
12 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
13 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
14 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~10%
15 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
16 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
17 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~10%
18 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
19 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
20 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
21 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
22 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
24 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
30 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
31 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
32 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
33 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
34 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
36 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
37 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
38 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
39 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
40 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
41 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
42 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
43 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
44 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
45 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
46 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
Insufficient data
47 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
48 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
49 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
50 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
51 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
52 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Sandwich Tern in Darién National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sandwich Tern sighting in Darién National Park, based on 46 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Sandwich Tern in Darién National Park?

January has the highest sighting rate for Sandwich Tern in Darién National Park in our monthly data.

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