Sandwich Tern
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Habitat and behaviour
Habitat: Coastal colonies (summer).
Diet: Sandeels, sprat.
Best time to spot: Yellow-tipped black bill; "kerr-ick" call.
When to look
A summer visitor, typically in the UK from March to September. Numbers peak in April. See the April birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in Bird migration in Britain.
How rare is it?
The Sandwich Tern sits in our Uncommon tier for the UK: regular, but you usually need the right place or the right season. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK.
Recent UK sightings
No community sightings logged for this species yet. Log the first one.
Similar birds
- Lesser Crested TernLegendary · Tern colonies (extreme vagrant)
- Cabot's TernLegendary · Coast (extreme vagrant)
- Elegant TernLegendary · Coast (very rare)
- Royal TernLegendary · Coast (very rare)
- Northern WheatearUncommon · Open uplands
- Little TernRare · Coastal shingle (summer)
Kit that helps
Best spotting scopes for UK birding. Affiliate links, our own picks, no extra cost to you.
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