Sandwich Tern
Sandwich TernSandwich TernSandwich TernSandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

Thalasseus sandvicensis

50–60% · Likely
overall probability at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
510 Verified records at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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. Wikipedia →

50–60% of wildlife watchers report a Sandwich Tern sighting in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, based on 510 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve

Royal Tern

Royal Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus maximus

60–70% · Likely
Cabot's Tern

Cabot's Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus acuflavidus

Insufficient data
Laughing Gull
LC

Laughing Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus atricilla

70–80% · Very likely
Black Skimmer
LC

Black Skimmer

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rynchops niger

40–50% · Likely
Gull-billed Tern

Gull-billed Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gelochelidon nilotica

20–30% · Possible
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

20–30% · Possible
Forster's Tern
LC

Forster's Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna forsteri

20–30% · Possible
American Herring Gull
LC

American Herring Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus smithsonianus

10–20% · With luck
Least Tern
LC

Least Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sternula antillarum

10–20% · With luck
Lesser Black-backed Gull
LC

Lesser Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus fuscus

10–20% · With luck
Ring-billed Gull
LC

Ring-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus delawarensis

5–10% · With luck
Black Tern
LC

Black Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias niger

5–10% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

50–60
Jan
40–50
Feb
50–60
Mar
50–60
Apr
40–50
May
30–40
Jun
40–50
Jul
50–60
Aug
40–50
Sep
50–60
Oct
60–70
Nov
60–70
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
50–60%
2 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
40–50%
3 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
20–30%
4 Península Valdés 🇦🇷 Argentina
20–30%
5 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
10–20%
6 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
10–20%
7 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
10–20%
8 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
10–20%
9 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
5–10%
10 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
5–10%
11 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
5–10%
12 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
5–10%
13 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
5–10%
14 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
5–10%
15 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
5–10%
16 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
5–10%
17 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
5–10%
18 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
5–10%
19 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
20 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
21 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
22 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
23 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
24 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
29 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
31 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
32 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
33 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
35 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
36 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
37 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
38 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
39 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
40 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
41 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
42 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
43 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
44 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
45 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
Insufficient data
46 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
47 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
48 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
49 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
50 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
51 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Sandwich Tern in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve?

About 53% of wildlife watchers report a Sandwich Tern sighting in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, based on 510 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Sandwich Tern in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve?

November has the highest sighting rate for Sandwich Tern in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve in our monthly data.

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