Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
The Sandwich Tern is a sleek, medium-sized seabird with a pale grey back, white underparts, and a shaggy black crest during the breeding season. Its most notable feature is its slender black bill tipped with yellow. In Patagonia, it is seen along coastal areas, often in mixed flocks with other terns and gulls. The species is highly social, nesting in dense colonies on sandy or shingle islands. Agile and graceful in flight, Sandwich Terns are often observed hovering briefly before plunging into the water to catch fish. Their calls are sharp and distinctive, carrying over the noise of the surf. While their main breeding grounds are in the Northern Hemisphere, some individuals reach the southern coasts of South America during migration, making them a special sight for birdwatchers in Patagonia.
Habitat
Coastal beaches, estuaries, sandbars, and sheltered bays along the Patagonian shoreline.
Foraging
Feeds by plunge-diving for small fish, often in groups, sometimes associating with other seabirds.