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Greater Crested Terns are relatively large terns. During the breeding season they have a black cap, white front (throat, neck, chest, belly and vent) and grey wings. The black eyes are surrounded by the black cap, while the frons (base of the bill) is white. The pointy, long bill is yellow; the short legs and feet are dark-grey. In eclipse the front of the cap becomes mottled black-and-white. Juvenile Greater Crested Terns have "checkered" upperparts, i.e. their back is mottled in various shades of grey.

Twitcher's tip

Compared to Lesser Crested Terns, the Greater Crested Tern is bigger and has a yellow bill (rather than orange).

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Greater Crested Tern is available HERE .

There are in total 5 races of Greater Crested Terns, which are a dispersive species. Nominate race "bergii" and race "enigma" breed along the southern African coastline, with race "bergii" found westward of Cape Hoorn (South Africa, Namibia), race "enigma" to the East, up to about the Zambesi delta. They disperse into the near-coastal southern Atlantic Ocean ("bergii") and southern Indian Ocean, respectively. Race "thalassinus" breeds along the eastern African coast and on the Seychelles group of islands. They disperse into the western Indian Ocean. Race "velox" breeds along the south-eastern (Indian Ocean) coastline of Arabia and along the south-western coastline of Asia, from southern Iran to Pakistan. Outside the breeding season they disperse into the northern Indian Ocean. Race "cristatus" has by far the widest-ranging distribution. Their breeding range stretches from Malaysia, via the coastal fringes of Borneo and Sumatra, south-eastwards around the coastal fringe of New Guinea and all of Australia, including Tasmania. They disperse into the north-eastern and eastern Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, far into the western Pacific Ocean and everywhere in between in South-east Asia and all around the Australian continent.

In Arabia, Greater Crested Terns, race "velox", breed along the south-eastern coastline, from the eastern cape in Oman to the southern tip in Yemen. Outside the breeding season they disperse into the nearby north-western Indian Ocean, into the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

Greater Crested Terns breed in sandy areas, often on islands, but also in suitable mainland habitats. Outside the breeding season they hunt in coastal waters and the high seas. They can be found resting on beaches, rockfaces and sandbanks.

Race "velox"

Race "cristatus"