Sandwich Tern
Sandwich TernSandwich TernSandwich TernSandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

Thalasseus sandvicensis

5–10% · With luck
overall probability at Table Mountain National Park
430 Verified records at Table Mountain National Park
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 →

5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Sandwich Tern sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 430 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Table Mountain National Park

Crested Tern
LC

Crested Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus bergii

20–30% · Possible
Elegant Tern
NT

Elegant Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus elegans

Insufficient data
Dominican Gull
LC

Dominican Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus dominicanus

40–50% · Likely
Hartlaub's Gull

Hartlaub's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus hartlaubii

30–40% · Possible
Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

5–10% · With luck
Grey-hooded Gull

Grey-hooded Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

<5% · Rare
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

<5% · Rare
White-winged Tern
LC

White-winged Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias leucopterus

Insufficient data
Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Insufficient data
Antarctic Tern
LC

Antarctic Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna vittata

<5% · Rare
Whiskered Tern
LC

Whiskered Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias hybrida

<5% · Rare
Sabine's Gull
LC

Sabine's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Xema sabini

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
10–20
Feb
10–20
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
5–10
Sep
10–20
Oct
10–20
Nov
10–20
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 Table Mountain National Park?

About 8% of wildlife watchers report a Sandwich Tern sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 430 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

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

November has the highest sighting rate for Sandwich Tern in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.

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