Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusThalasseus (Crested Terns)
- SpeciesThalasseus maximus (Royal Tern)
Closest Relatives at Chagres National Park
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Southern Lapwing
Vanellus chilensis
Wattled Jacana
Jacana jacana
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Solitary Sandpiper
Tringa solitaria
Pectoral Sandpiper
Calidris melanotos
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Willet
Tringa semipalmata
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
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
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Royal Tern in Chagres National Park?
About 1% of visitor-days record a Royal Tern sighting in Chagres National Park, based on 10 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Royal Tern in Chagres National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Royal Tern in Chagres National Park in our monthly data.