Elegant Tern vs Lesser Crested Tern

Elegant Tern

Thalasseus elegans

Medium260 gCoastal

This is a medium-large tern, with a long, slender, slightly downcurved orange bill, pale gray upperparts and white underparts. It is 39–42 cm (15–17 in) long with an 76–81 cm (30–32 in) wingspan, and a weight of 190–325 g (6.7–11.5 oz). Its legs are black. From late summer to winter, the forehead becomes white. The black of the crest that comes down from the crown extends through the eye, creating a small black "smudge" in front of the eye even in winter plumage. On royal terns, the black crest stops at the eye, while lesser crested tern has a less shaggy crest.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: velodrome · CC BY 4.0

Lesser Crested Tern

Thalasseus bengalensis

Medium209 gCoastal

This is a medium-large tern, 35–43 cm long and with a 88–105 cm wingspan; its weight ranges from 185–242 g. It is very similar in size and general appearance to its three very close relatives Sandwich tern, Elegant tern and Chinese crested tern. The summer adult has a black cap, black legs and a long sharp orange bill. The upperwings, rump and central tail feathers are grey and the underparts white. The primary flight feathers darken during the summer. In winter, the forehead becomes white. The call is a loud grating noise like Sandwich tern.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: mourad-harzallah · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Elegant Tern and Lesser Crested Tern.