Sandwich Tern  Sterna sandvicensis
Sandwich Tern
Sterna sandvicensis

Identified by its shaggy crest and yellow-tipped black bill, the Sandwich Tern is strictly a coastal bird of the southeast and the Caribbean.  It favors the warm waters of bays and estuaries near extensive beaches and mudflats.
It feeds mainly on fish as well as squid, marine worms and insects and also forages by hovering and plunging headfirst. 
Nesting in colonies on open ground, the young stay with parents another four months after their first flight.

Copyright Mark Tiefenbach
Deepbrook Nature Photography
Copyright Mark Tiefenbach
Deepbrook Nature Photography