Gull-billed Tern
Gull-billed TernGull-billed TernGull-billed TernGull-billed Tern

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Bako National Park
27 Verified sightings at Bako National Park From 2019 to 2026
5,529 Verified sightings across all 74 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Gull-billed Tern

The gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is widely distributed and breeds in scattered localities in Europe, Asia, northwest Africa, and the Americas. The Australian gull-billed tern was previously considered a subspecies.

The gull-billed tern was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with terns in the genus Sterna and coined the binomial name Sterna nilotica. Gmelin based his description on the "Egyptian tern" that had been described in 1785 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his book A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham had in turn based his own account on that by the Swedish naturalist Fredrik Hasselquist that was published in 1757. The gull-billed tern was moved to the resurrected genus Gelochelidon based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2005. The genus had been introduced in 1830 by the German zoologist Christian Ludwig Brehm. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek gelaō meaning "to laugh" with khelidōn meaning "swallow". The specific epithet nilotica is from Latin niloticus meaning... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Bako National Park

Little Tern
LC

Little Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sternula albifrons

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Crested Tern
LC

Crested Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus bergii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Black-naped Tern
LC

Black-naped Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna sumatrana

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Whiskered Tern
LC

Whiskered Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias hybrida

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Lesser Crested Tern
LC

Lesser Crested Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus bengalensis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Bridled Tern
LC

Bridled Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Onychoprion anaethetus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Common Sandpiper
LC

Common Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Actitis hypoleucos

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Whimbrel
LC

Whimbrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius phaeopus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Terek Sandpiper
LC

Terek Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Xenus cinereus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Eurasian Curlew
NT

Eurasian Curlew

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius arquata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Far Eastern Curlew
EN

Far Eastern Curlew

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius madagascariensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Common Greenshank
LC

Common Greenshank

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa nebularia

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
2 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
3 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
4 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
5 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
6 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~20%
7 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~20%
8 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
9 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
10 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~20%
11 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
12 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
13 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
14 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
~10%
15 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
16 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
17 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
18 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
19 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
20 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
<5%
21 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
22 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
23 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
24 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
25 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
26 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
27 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
28 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
29 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
30 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
31 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
34 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
35 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
36 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
37 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
38 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
39 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
40 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
41 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
42 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
43 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
44 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
45 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
46 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
47 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
48 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
49 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
50 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
51 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
52 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
53 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
Insufficient data
54 Raja Ampat 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
55 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
56 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
57 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
58 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data
59 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
60 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
61 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
62 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
63 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
64 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
65 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
66 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
67 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
Insufficient data
68 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
69 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
70 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
71 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Insufficient data
72 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
73 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
74 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Gull-billed Tern in Bako National Park?

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Gull-billed Tern sighting in Bako National Park, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Gull-billed Tern in Bako National Park?

February has the highest sighting rate for Gull-billed Tern in Bako National Park in our monthly data.

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