Royal Tern
Royal TernRoyal TernRoyal TernRoyal Tern

Royal Tern

Thalasseus maximus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Darién National Park
41 Verified sightings at Darién National Park From 2019 to 2026
13,453 Verified sightings across all 52 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Royal Tern

The royal tern (Thalasseus maximus) is a tern in the family Laridae. The species is endemic to the Americas, though vagrants have been identified in Europe. The royal tern was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1781 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen collected in Cayenne, French Guiana. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-colored plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Sterna maxima in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The royal tern is now placed in the genus Thalasseus that was erected by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1822.

The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek θάλασσα (thálassa) meaning "sea". The specific epithet maximus is Latin for "greatest". The royal tern belongs to the class Aves and the order Charadriiformes. Charadriiformes includes seabirds and shorebirds of small to medium... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Darién National Park

Sandwich Tern
LC

Sandwich Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus atricilla

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Brown Noddy

Brown Noddy

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anous stolidus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Black Tern
LC

Black Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias niger

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Large-billed Tern
LC

Large-billed Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phaetusa simplex

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Sooty Tern
LC

Sooty Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Onychoprion fuscatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Gull-billed Tern
LC

Gull-billed Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gelochelidon nilotica

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Sabine's Gull
LC

Sabine's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Xema sabini

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Southern Lapwing
LC

Southern Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus chilensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Wattled Jacana
LC

Wattled Jacana

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Jacana jacana

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~70%
2 Jaragua National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~60%
3 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~40%
4 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
5 Península Valdés 🇦🇷 Argentina
~40%
6 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
7 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
8 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~30%
9 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
10 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
11 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
~30%
12 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
13 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
14 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
15 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
16 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
17 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
18 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
19 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
20 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
21 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
22 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
23 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
24 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
25 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
26 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
27 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
28 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
29 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
30 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
31 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
33 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
34 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
<5%
35 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
36 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
37 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
38 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
39 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
40 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
41 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
42 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
43 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
44 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
45 Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park 🇯🇲 Jamaica
Insufficient data
46 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
47 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
48 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
49 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
50 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
51 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
52 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Royal Tern in Darién National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Royal Tern sighting in Darién National Park, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Royal Tern in Darién National Park?

January has the highest sighting rate for Royal Tern in Darién National Park in our monthly data.

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