Royal Tern alternate

A typical alternate-plumaged Royal, with a prominent shaggy crest and fully dark cap. Much of the year Royal has a white forehead, but for a brief period in breeding season shows all dark on the crown. Bill is reddish orange, and can be even more reddish in tone though usually not quite as deeply red as Caspian. Note the bill shape, which is more slender than Caspian, and the tip is not dark as typical of Caspian. That species also doesn't usually show so much of a crest, and is more robust in the body. Elegant Tern can have a very shaggy crest (often longer than this) but has even a slimmer, longer bill with a slight droop at the end, and the gonydeal angle on the mandible is positioned a bit more proximally. This individual shows a bit of a pink breast, and others in this group were even brighter pink, commonly seen in breeding season.