Alternate Adult has silvery-gray wings and back, white tail and underparts, black legs, black cap with shaggy crest, and thin, pale-tipped, black bill. Basic Adult has white forehead and darker wingtips. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has some darker scalloping on back. Sandwich Tern always has black bill with pale tip, but can be hard to see from a distance.

Length: 38 (cm) Wingspan: 86 (cm)

Voice:

Harsh, grating, high, single-note calls; juvenile gives high begging whistles.

Habitat:

Open ocean, beaches, and coastal areas.

Behavior:

Breeds in dense colonies, sometimes with other terns and gulls; nest is a scrape on the ground.

Feeding:

Plunge-dives into water to catch fish.