Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

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 iSimangaliso Wetland Park

2 Verified sightings at iSimangaliso Wetland Park From 2019 to 2026

5,531 Verified sightings across all 75 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 iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Hydroprogne caspia

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Thalasseus bergii

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Chlidonias hybrida

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Sternula albifrons

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Larus dominicanus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Thalasseus bengalensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Onychoprion fuscatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Chlidonias leucopterus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Anous stolidus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

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	Komodo National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
53	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
54	Taroko National Park	🇹🇼 Taiwan	Insufficient data
55	Raja Ampat	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
56	Akagera National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	Insufficient data
57	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
58	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
59	Kiskunság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	Insufficient data
60	Ranthambore National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
61	Cévennes National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
62	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
63	Bali Barat National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
64	Nagarhole National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
65	Iberá National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	Insufficient data
66	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
67	Lake Mburo National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
68	Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park	🇲🇳 Mongolia	Insufficient data
69	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
70	Kibale National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
71	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
72	Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary	🇲🇾 Malaysia	Insufficient data
73	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
74	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
75	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data

← Back to iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Gull-billed Tern

About the Gull-billed Tern

Recent sightings of Gull-billed Tern in iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Closest Relatives at iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Grey-hooded Gull

Caspian Tern

Crested Tern

Whiskered Tern

Common Tern

Little Tern

Dominican Gull

Sandwich Tern

Lesser Crested Tern

Sooty Tern

White-winged Tern

Brown Noddy

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found