Sandwich Tern

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Identity and identification

Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis belongs to Laridae; older references use Sterna sandvicensis. Adult plumage includes a long black bill with a yellow tip, black legs and a dark crest. The forecrown becomes whiter outside breeding; bill colour alone is insufficient when comparing juveniles.

Habitat and food

It searches coastal water from the air and plunge-dives for small fish. Beaches, structures and islands provide resting places, preferably near feeding areas.

Breeding and development

Colonies nest on sandy or shingly ground. BTO gives a typical clutch of one or two eggs, shared incubation of 21–29 days and fledging about 28–30 days after hatching. Parents feed the growing chicks; breeding plumage alone does not establish local nesting.

Arab occurrence and seasonality

Qatar’s current list calls it a scarce winter visitor, with records in every month. Lebanon’s 2020 checklist explains that records from 2008–2019 support fairly common winter status after earlier assessments of extreme rarity. November suits winter observation without assigning breeding status to either country.

Observation and conservation

Avoid repeated approaches to resting sites and colonies. Loss of shore habitat and reduced fish resources affect its environment.

British Trust for Ornithology — BirdFacts: Sandwich Tern · RSPB — Sandwich Tern · CIESM — Guide of Seabirds: Sandwich Tern · Ramadan-Jaradi et al. — Updated checklist of the birds of Lebanon, Sandgrouse 42 (2020) · Qatar Bird Observation Group — Qatar Bird List · AviList Core Team — Global Avian Checklist v2026, 20 October 2026

Species illustration: Sunny Zhang 张迎新 — CC0 1.0. · 1 · https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/