# Sandwich tern (*Thalasseus sandvicensis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/sandwich-tern  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) is a bird in the family Laridae and the order Charadriiformes. It is a small, migratory marine bird with an aerial lifestyle, feeding as an aquatic predator at the carnivore trophic level. Adults weigh 199.8 g, with a highest reported value of 296 g, and the wingspan is 1 m. It lays 1 clutch per year with 1.21 eggs per clutch, incubates for 23.5 days and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 199.8 g – 296 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 1 m |
| Lifespan | 27.2 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 30.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 23.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.21 |
| Age at maturity | 2.49 years – 3 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Aerial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Charadriiformes
- family: Laridae
- genus: Thalasseus
- species: *Thalasseus sandvicensis* (Latham, 1787)

Synonyms: *Sterna boysii*, *Sterna cantiaca*, *Sterna sandvicensis*, *Sterna sandvicensis*, *Sterna sandvicensis sandvicensis*, *Sterna sandwicensis*, *Sterna stubberica*, *Thalasseus sandvicensis*, *Thalasseus sandvicensis sandvicensis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the sandwich tern?

The sandwich tern is a bird in the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes. It is a small, migratory marine species.

### How much does a sandwich tern weigh?

An adult Sandwich tern weighs 199.8 g, with a highest reported value of 296 g. Its wingspan is 1 m.

### What does the sandwich tern eat?

The sandwich tern is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.

### Is the sandwich tern endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a sandwich tern live?

The sandwich tern has a lifespan of 27.17 years, with a highest reported value of 30.8 years.

### How many eggs does a sandwich tern lay?

The sandwich tern lays 1.21 eggs per clutch and 1 clutch per year. Incubation lasts 23.5 days.

### When does a sandwich tern reach sexual maturity?

The sandwich tern reaches sexual maturity at 2.7 years, with reported values from 2.5 to 3.0 years.

### Who named the sandwich tern?

The sandwich tern, Thalasseus sandvicensis, was named by Latham in 1787, written as (Latham, 1787).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sandwich-tern