Photo: Regular Daddy / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Elegant Tern
Thalasseus elegans
Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) — Shorebirds, Gulls & Auks of North America.
Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) is a member of the Laridae family found in Central America & Caribbean and North America. Adults weigh 260 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Charadriiformes
- Family Laridae Gulls, Terns, Skimmers
- Genus Thalasseus
- Species elegans
Where it lives
Coastal eastern Pacific of southwestern California and Baja California and Gulf of California (northwestern Mexico)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 260 g
- Diet
- Aquatic hunters
- Family
- Laridae
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Habitat
- Wetland, lake & coast
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Critically Endangered
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Elegant Tern hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of coastal habitats, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.
Migration
The Elegant Tern is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) is a species of bird in the Laridae family, part of the order Charadriiformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America. Its distribution covers NA, MA coastal e Pacific of sw California and Baja California and Gulf of California (nw Mexico).
It is a large bird. Adults weighs around 260 g, with a wing length of about 29.7 cm and a tail of around 12.7 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 1,309 km² — a relatively restricted global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Elegant Tern?
The Elegant Tern is a large bird that weighs around 260 g.
Where does the Elegant Tern live?
The Elegant Tern is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America with a range covering NA, MA coastal e Pacific of sw California and Baja California and Gulf of California (nw Mexico), where it is associated with wetlands, lakes and other open water.
What family does the Elegant Tern belong to?
The Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) belongs to the Laridae family, in the order Charadriiformes.
What does the Elegant Tern eat?
The Elegant Tern hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Does the Elegant Tern migrate?
The Elegant Tern is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Elegant Tern endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Elegant Tern make?
1 real field recording of the Elegant Tern — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Elegant Tern's range?
The Elegant Tern has a mapped global range of about 1,309 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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