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

Sandwich Tern

Thalasseus sandvicensis

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

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
GenusThalasseus (Crested Terns)
SpeciesThalasseus sandvicensis (Sandwich Tern)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Palo Verde National Park

2 Verified sightings at Palo Verde National Park From 2019 to 2026

7,535 Verified sightings across all 52 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ 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 Palo Verde National Park

Thalasseus maximus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Thalasseus elegans

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Sternula superciliaris

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Hydroprogne caspia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Leucophaeus atricilla

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Rynchops niger

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Jacana spinosa

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Himantopus mexicanus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Actitis macularius

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Vanellus chilensis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Tringa flavipes

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

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

← Back to Palo Verde National Park

Sandwich Tern

About the Sandwich Tern

Recent sightings of Sandwich Tern in Palo Verde National Park

Closest Relatives at Palo Verde National Park

Royal Tern

Elegant Tern

Yellow-billed Tern

Caspian Tern

Laughing Gull

Franklin's Gull

Black Skimmer

Northern Jacana

Black-necked Stilt

Spotted Sandpiper

Southern Lapwing

Lesser Yellowlegs

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found