Elegant Tern vs West African 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

West African Crested Tern

Thalasseus albididorsalis

Medium380 gMarine

The West African crested tern is one of the three larger crested terns, along with royal tern and greater crested tern. Its tail is shallowly forked and the adult's bill is long and orange. It is about 50 cm (20 in) long, with a wingspan between 125–135 cm (49–53 in), and weighs 320–440 g (11–16 oz) with a mean weight of 367 g (12.9 oz). In breeding plumage its underside is white and upper parts silvery grey; the top of the head is black with a shaggy crest at the rear. As in all Thalasseus terns, the primary feathers are silvery when fresh, but soon become blackish with wear.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: rangersara · CC0

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