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 ~10% · With luck
at Snowdonia National Park
169 Verified sightings at Snowdonia National Park 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 Snowdonia National Park

European Herring Gull
LC

European Herring Gull

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Larus argentatus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Lesser Black-backed Gull
LC

Lesser Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus fuscus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Great Black-backed Gull
LC

Great Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus marinus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Common Gull
LC

Common Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus canus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Iceland Gull
LC

Iceland Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus glaucoides

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ichthyaetus melanocephalus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black-legged Kittiwake
VU

Black-legged Kittiwake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rissa tridactyla

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Arctic Tern
LC

Arctic Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna paradisaea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Little Tern
LC

Little Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sternula albifrons

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Little Gull
LC

Little Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydrocoloeus minutus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

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 Snowdonia National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sandwich Tern sighting in Snowdonia National Park, based on 169 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

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

April has the highest sighting rate for Sandwich Tern in Snowdonia National Park in our monthly data.

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