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 Ciénaga de Zapata
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Least Tern
Sternula antillarum
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
📅 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 Ciénaga de Zapata?
About 29% of visitor-days record a Royal Tern sighting in Ciénaga de Zapata, based on 464 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Royal Tern in Ciénaga de Zapata?
February has the highest sighting rate for Royal Tern in Ciénaga de Zapata in our monthly data.