Species › Birds

Lesser Crested Tern

Sterna bengalensis

Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Presence in the Strait: Migrant
Abundance: scarce
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Charrán bengalí

36% of its open observations in the area are from October.

Photograph: Ian Dugdale, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 35–37 cm
Wingspan: 100–107 cm
Weight: 210 g

Presence in the Strait

Scarce migrant to coastal areas.

Identification

Like a Sandwich Tern and often occurs in company with this tern, but with an orange bill, grey rump and tail. Also similar to a Royal Tern. Juveniles have dark patches on wings and a pale orange bill.

Movements

Prenuptial migration is inconspicuous at the end of April and May. Postnuptial migration is more conspicuous with peaks in 1st hf. October (53% of birds). Charrán Real Sterna máxima / Royal Tern L 45-50 / E 112-120 / P 375 Estatus: Accidental. Cuatro citas de aves aisladas: Un ave el 19.09.81 en la bahía de Algeciras, un ave el 25.09.88 y el 3.10.88 en Estuario del Guadiaro y otra el 23.09.96 en la playa de Los Lances. Identificación: Algo menor que la Pagaza Piquirroja, con pico naranja y frente blanca en invierno. Puede confundirse con el Charrán Bengalí pero es mayor y con cola y obispillo blancos. Provienen de las costas de Mauritania. Status: Accidental. Four sightings of isolated birds: One bird on 19.09.81 in the Bay of Algeciras, one bird on 25.09.88 and 3.10.88 in the River Guadiaro estuary and another one on 23.09.96 at Los Lances beach. Identification: Smaller than a Caspian Tern with an orange bill and white forehead in winter. It can be confused with a Lesser Crested Tern, but it is larger and with a white tail and rump. Breeds on the coast of Mauritania.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

36 %

Peak in October. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 4 October 1888
Latest record: 8 November 2024

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Not included
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List) (Mediterráneo)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: NE · Not evaluated · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Same genus in the Strait

Sandwich Tern36–41 cm · Seasonal · overlapping size
Common Tern31–35 cm · Migrant · overlapping size
Roseate Tern33–38 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size
Forster´s Tern33–36 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size
Arctic Tern33–35 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
GBIF taxon key: 6065833

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Ian Dugdale, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Lesser Crested Tern

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Gallery