Sandwich Tern look-alikes

Key differences

Common Terns are smaller, have a red bill with a black tip (breeding), and a less shaggy black cap. Their flight is often more agile, and their calls are different ('kee-arr').

Key differences

Roseate Terns are smaller, paler, and have a longer tail. Their bill is black with a red base (breeding) and they show a faint pink flush on the underparts. Their call is a distinctive 'chiv-ik'.

Key differences

Lesser Crested Terns are slightly smaller, have a completely orange-yellow bill (no black tip), and a more uniform grey upperwing without the dark primary wedge of the Sandwich Tern. Their calls are also distinct.

Key differences

Elegant Terns (sometimes considered a subspecies or closely related species to Sandwich Tern, particularly in the Americas) have a longer, more slender, and often slightly drooped orange-yellow bill. Their crest is typically longer and shaggier, and they have a slightly more slender appearance. The taxonomic relationship is complex and debated.