Roseate Tern

How to find it

Expect it to be very hard to find. Wintering birds on the north and east coasts of South America have proved hard to locate, and the species' habits in the Caribbean and South America outside breeding season are poorly known, so land-based sightings are unlikely. If you want to look, scan Pacific beaches and the Gulf of Nicoya for terns. Check every pale one against Common and Arctic Terns, noting the long tail, the bill pattern and the very pale upperwing. Soft light helps show the faint peach tint below.

How to recognise it

Roseate Tern is a pale, medium-sized tern. Learn these marks:

In summer, a mostly black bill with red at the base.

A very long forked tail.

Very pale upper wings.

Compared with Common and Arctic Terns it is much paler, with a bigger head and bill, a longer tail and shorter wings. When perched, the tail clearly projects past the wingtips.

The pink wash on the breast fades quickly in sunlight, so it is hard to see. In soft light it can show as a faint peachy tint on the underparts, so do not rely on it as your main clue.

What it sounds like

Recording: Steve Collins, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

Roseate Tern eats almost only small fish. It hovers high and then plunges up to about half a metre into the water. It also skims low over the surface to snatch fish.

It spends most of its time foraging at sea, which is part of why it is so seldom seen from land.

Where it lives

It is a coastal tern and is not seen inland. Outside the breeding season it is found mostly over open sea, and in winter it returns to coasts. Roseate Terns migrate well offshore, usually out of sight of land.

In Costa Rica the first record came from the Pacific coast, and the species is listed only as an accidental visitor.

When to see it

The first Costa Rica record was seen in late September 2015. Word only came out in October, after the observers realised what the bird was and posted it to the local rare bird alert.

Similar birds

It is easily confused with Common and Arctic Terns, and both are on the Costa Rica list. Roseate is much paler, with a bigger head and bill, a longer tail and shorter wings. Arctic Terns have also been seen on the Pacific coast, on beaches and in the Gulf of Nicoya, so Arctic is the other rare tern of that coast to check against a pale tern.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The Spanish name on the official Costa Rica list is Charrán Rosado, and Costa Rican birders list it under that name. Another Spanish name in use in the region is Gaviotín Vientre Rosado.

Status and conservation

The official Costa Rica list gives the Roseate Tern status A, meaning accidental, and it is still rated A in the June 2026 update.