Thalasseus elegans
The Elegant Tern (*Thalasseus elegans*) is a striking, medium-sized seabird, instantly recognizable by its long, slender, slightly drooped orange bill, a feature unique among terns in its range. Averaging 39-43 cm (15-17 inches) in length with a wingspan of 90-100 cm (35-39 inches) and weighing 190-330 g (6.7-11.6 oz), it sports a sleek white body, pale grey upperparts, and a shaggy black crest that extends from the crown to the nape during breeding season. In non-breeding plumage, the forehe...
Exclusively coastal and marine, Elegant Terns inhabit sandy beaches, barrier islands, estuaries, lagoons, and salt pans, primarily nesting on isolated islands or protected sandy spits at low elevations.
Their diet consists almost exclusively of small fish, including anchovies, sardines, smelt, and surfperch, which they catch by plunge-diving into shallow coastal waters.
Elegant Terns are diurnal and highly social, often foraging and roosting in dense flocks on beaches and sandbars. Their primary foraging strategy is plunge-diving, where they hover over shallow waters, then dive headfirst to capture prey just beneath the surface. Breeding is highly colonial, with...
The Elegant Tern has a restricted breeding range primarily along the Pacific coast of Baja California, Mexico, extending northward to southern California, particularly in the California Bight. Significant colonies also occur in the Gulf of California. Following the breeding season, most of the po...
Least Concern
- The Elegant Tern's vivid orange bill is unique, longer and more slender than that of the similar Royal Tern, making it a key identification feature. - They nest in some of the densest seabird colonies in the world, sometimes exceeding 10,000 nests in a single colony, often alongside other tern ...