Royal Tern Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A large tern, slender and long winged. The head is fairly large and often has a ragged crest at the back. Royal Terns have a substantial body, a long, forked tail, and short legs. The bill is long and daggerlike.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Ring-billed Gull (but with shorter legs), smaller than a Caspian Tern.

  crow-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 17.7-19.7 in (45-50 cm)
    • Weight: 13.8-15.2 oz (390-430 g)
    • Wingspan: 39.4-43.3 in (100-110 cm)

• Color Pattern

  Breeding adults are gray below and white above, with a black crest and bright orange bill. Nonbreeders have a white forehead with black only at the rear of the crest. The outer primaries of the wing are blackish and the legs are black. Juveniles are similar but with tan feathers in upperparts, duskier upperwings, and a paler bill.

• Behavior

  Forages by slowly flying above the water’s surface, then diving for small fish and crustaceans. Nests in dense colonies on beaches and islands.

• Habitat

  Warm, shallow waters of oceans and adjacent bays and rivers, usually close to shore. Nests and rests on barrier beaches, sandy islands, and artificial islands such as those created from dredging. Occasionally found inland after strong storms such as hurricanes.