The elegant tern is a tern in the family Laridae. It breeds on the Pacific coast of southern California in the United States and western Mexico, and migrates south to Peru, Ecuador and Chile for the northern winter; in the late summer and fall, some also disperse north to Oregon and more rarely Washington.

This Elegant Tern was photographed at Marina Del Rey, CA on February 9, 2026. View all Elegant Tern photos →