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Thalasseus sandvicensis (Latham, 1787) ssp. acuflavidus (S.Cabot, 1847)
Cabot's Tern
Sandwich Tern
Florida native
Found in all coastal areas of Florida, nesting on beaches, barrier and spoil islands and foraging in shallow waters near-shore plus various estuaries including lagoons, inlets and rivermouths. Breeding occurs around the Gulf of Mexico and up the eastern coast to the mid-Atlantic states. Non-breeding birds range widely throughout the Caribbean and along the eastern coast of Mexico, and both coasts of Central and parts of South America. Can also be found year-round along the southeastern coast of South America.
Smaller and more slender than royal terns, sandwich terns have a thin black bill with a yellow or pale tip. Juveniles typically have a yellow bill, or all black bill without the lighter tip and a mottled back. Adults have black legs which are lighter and sometimes yellow in juveniles. Adults are pale gray above and white underneath. Breeding adults have a full black crest, non-breeding and young birds only have some black on the back of the head.
The subspecies of sandwich tern found in Florida is acuflavidus and has teh comon name Cabot's tern. The Eurasian snadwich tern (subspecies sandvicensis) is mainly found in Europe, and also some coastal areas of Africa. The Cayenne tern (subspecies eurygnathus) has an all yellow or all pale-orange bill and is found in the southern Caribbean and the Atlantic coast of South America.
Thalasseus sandvicensis is a member of the Laridae - Gulls, Terns & Skimmers family.
Other species of the Thalasseus genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Thalasseus maxima - ROYAL TERN
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds page for this species
Date record last modified: Mar 03, 2025
