Like these, it has a full black crown in the breeding season, a pale, silvery-grey back and wings, and a white tail.

Four pairs were rediscovered in 2000 nesting in a greater crested tern colony on an islet in the Matsu Islands (a territory governed by Taiwan), just off the coast of Fujian Province, China, and wintering south to the Philippines.

This colony may have been protected due to the islands' disputed status (administered by the Taiwanese government but claimed by mainland China), and the military sensitivity of the area, which has restricted access.

It is possible that other small colonies may yet be found off the Chinese and Taiwanese coasts; migrant birds have been seen near the mouth of the Pachang River in southern Taiwan.

BirdLife International stated that a survey of Chinese experts found that the number of crested terns fell to 50 birds, half the population of 2004.

[14] One was at Bulacan in December 2023 along the sandbar that straddles the boundary between Santa Cruz, Paombong, and Pamarawan Island in Malolos northwest of New Manila International Airport.