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 Ostional Wildlife Refuge
15 Verified sightings at Ostional Wildlife Refuge From 2019 to 2026
7,535 Verified sightings across all 52 parks From 2019 to 2026
April 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 Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Royal Tern
LC

Royal Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus maximus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Elegant Tern

Elegant Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus elegans

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
Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Least Tern
LC

Least Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sternula antillarum

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Spotted Sandpiper
LC

Spotted Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actitis macularius

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Willet
LC

Willet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa semipalmata

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Whimbrel
LC

Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius phaeopus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Hudsonian Whimbrel

Hudsonian Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius hudsonicus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Semipalmated Plover
LC

Semipalmated Plover

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Charadrius semipalmatus

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 Ostional Wildlife Refuge?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sandwich Tern sighting in Ostional Wildlife Refuge, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Sandwich Tern in Ostional Wildlife Refuge?

April has the highest sighting rate for Sandwich Tern in Ostional Wildlife Refuge in our monthly data.

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