Royal Tern

The Royal Tern is a large, elegant tern found along warm-temperate and tropical coastlines of the Americas and West Africa, second in size only to the Caspian Tern among the world's terns. Adults have a long, slender orange bill, pale gray upperparts, white underparts, and black legs.

In full breeding plumage, the black cap covers the entire crown and extends into a shaggy crest at the back of the head, but for much of the year the forehead is white, leaving only a black band across the nape and a ragged crest, giving the bird a distinctive "receding hairline" look.

Royal Terns typically forage well offshore or along open beaches, plunge-diving from height for fish, and form dense, often massive nesting colonies on isolated sandy islands and beaches.

Key field marks

• Large size, second only to Caspian Tern
• Long, slender orange bill (thinner than Caspian Tern's thicker, more red-orange bill)
• Shaggy black crest, often reduced to a black nape band outside full breeding condition
• Black legs

Similar species

• Caspian Tern: larger and bulkier with a thicker, more coral-red bill and a solid black cap rather than a shaggy crest with white forehead.
• Elegant Tern: smaller, with a longer, more slender, drooping bill, often more orange-yellow.
• Sandwich Tern: notably smaller with a black bill tipped yellow.

Habitat

A coastal species found on sandy beaches, sandbars, estuaries, and lagoons, rarely straying inland.

Range and migration

Breeds along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the Americas, from the mid-Atlantic United States south through the Caribbean and parts of South America, as well as along the coast of West Africa. Northern populations migrate south for winter, while populations in warmer regions may be largely resident.

Behavior

Royal Terns nest in extremely dense colonies, sometimes packed shoulder to shoulder on open sand, and chicks quickly form large groups called crèches that huddle together while parents forage.

Voice

Calls include a rolling, bugling "keer-reet" or "kree" note, distinctive among the larger terns.

Feeding

Feeds mainly on fish, caught by plunge-diving from moderate height into shallow coastal waters, supplemented by crustaceans.

Nesting and breeding

Nests in dense colonies on open sand or shell beaches with little vegetation, often alongside other terns and skimmers. Clutches typically contain one egg, incubated by both parents for about a month; chicks join large crèches soon after hatching.