<p>Royal Tern <i>Thalasseus maximus</i> with a fish in beak feeding its youngster, on Morro Strand State Beach, Morro Bay, CA  29 Sept. 2008.  Michael "Mike" L. Baird, Canon 1D Mark III 600mm IS with polarizer, on tripod.
</p><p>Many thanks to slobirdr <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/22170893@N06">Gregory "Greg" Smith</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/22170893@N06/">www.flickr.com/people/22170893@N06/</a> for the ID correction, this bird is not an Elegant, but rather is a Royal Tern.  Greg says "You have three pix of a single tern (the one with orange legs) that you have listed as an Elegant Tern.  I am pretty darn sure it is a Royal Tern.  ROTE have the black on their head restricted to the very back of their crown.  And it never lays down the neck like the Elegant.  The ELTE also has a droopy bill, whereas the ROTE has a straight bill.  One thing about Royals is that some birds have orange legs while most have black.  Not sure why, buy I do see it once in awhile."
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Royal Tern <i>Thalasseus maximus</i>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/72825507@N00">Mike Baird</a> from Morro Bay, USA
CC BY 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/2900231381/">CORRECTED ID: Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) with a fish in beak feeding youngster</a>