The Sandwich tern is a very white tern, with a black cap on its head, a long black bill with a yellow tip and short black legs. In flight it shows grey wedges on its wings tips and it has a short forked tail. In the UK, many of the important colonies survive because they are on nature reserves.
Key ID Features
A large, long winged tern with a black cap extending down the rear of the neck, often spiky.
It has a silvery grey back, white underparts, black legs and a long, narrow black bill with a yellow tip.
When hunting it tends to fly with the head facing downwards and makes sudden dives from a fair height without hovering like Arctic and Common Terns.
Overview
Scientific name: Sterna sandvicensis
Family: Terns (Sternidae)
Where to see them:
There are colonies of Sandwich terns scattered around the UK coasts including the North Norfolk coast; Minsmere, Suffolk; and Dungeness, Kent.
Seen in UK:
From late March to September.
What they eat
Fish such as sandeels, sprats and whiting.
Text (c) RSPB, used with permission
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Photographer: Tim Tapley
