Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
GenusGelochelidon (Gull-billed Terns)
SpeciesGelochelidon nilotica (Gull-billed Tern)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Cape Range

2 Verified sightings at Cape Range From 2019 to 2026

5,529 Verified sightings across all 74 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ 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 Cape Range

Endemic

Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Thalasseus bergii

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Hydroprogne caspia

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Thalasseus bengalensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

VU Endemic

Sternula nereis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Sternula albifrons

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Chlidonias leucopterus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Onychoprion anaethetus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Chlidonias hybrida

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Sterna dougallii

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Onychoprion fuscatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

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

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Gull-billed Tern

About the Gull-billed Tern

Closest Relatives at Cape Range

Silver Gull

Crested Tern

Caspian Tern

Lesser Crested Tern

Fairy Tern

Little Tern

White-winged Tern

Bridled Tern

Whiskered Tern

Roseate Tern

Common Tern

Sooty Tern

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found