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The Migration Atlas Project

Sandwich Tern Ringing and Recoveries

Ring recoveries show that most Sandwich Terns that breed in Britain and Ireland spend the winter months along the Atlantic coast of Africa, a few reaching the Indian Ocean on the coast of South Africa. Adults move south from August to December and back north to breed between March and May. Immature birds may not return to breeding colonies at all in their first year of life and return later than birds of breeding age until they are old enough to breed (most in their third summer).

The average difference between ringed and recovery latitude for birds ringed during breeding in Britain and Ireland. The broken line shows the pattern for young terns (less than three years old) and the solid line for adults (at least three years old). The notes on the right show the likely locations of a tern from the Farne Islands at different stages of the annual cycle.

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