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Manatee County

Audubon Society

Sandwich Tern

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Name

Sandwich Tern

Scientific Name

(Thalasseus sandvicensis)

Why they are special:
  • A slender, graceful tern that is common along Florida’s beaches and sandbars.

  • Easily recognized by its black bill with a yellow tip, setting it apart from other terns.

  • Often seen in large, noisy colonies with other seabirds.
Size and color:
  • Medium-sized tern, 15–17 inches long with a wingspan of 30–34 inches.

  • Pale gray upperparts, white underparts, and a long slender black bill with a yellow tip.

  • In breeding season, adults have a full black cap; in winter, the cap becomes patchy with white forehead.
Seasonality in Florida:
  • Year-round resident along coasts, though numbers swell in winter with migrants from farther north.
Habitat:
  • Sandy beaches, barrier islands, estuaries, and sandbars.

  • Often roosts in large groups and nests in colonies on open sandy ground.
Diet:
  • Feeds mainly on small fish, caught by diving headfirst into the water from above.

  • Also eats shrimp and small marine invertebrates.
Behavior:
  • Nests in colonies, often mixed with Royal and Least Terns, using shallow scrapes in the sand.

  • Agile flier, frequently seen plunging into schools of baitfish offshore.
Conservation notes:
  • Populations are stable, but nesting colonies are vulnerable to disturbance, predators, and beach development.
Best time to see:
  • Year-round, especially on sandbars, beaches, and coastal estuaries.
Fun Fact:
  • The Sandwich Tern was named after Sandwich, England, not the food—though birders often joke that it’s the “picnic tern.”
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