Gull-billed Tern
Gull-billed TernGull-billed TernGull-billed TernGull-billed Tern

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Lake Nakuru National Park
429 Verified sightings at Lake Nakuru National Park From 2019 to 2026
5,531 Verified sightings across all 75 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ 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 Lake Nakuru National Park

Grey-hooded Gull

Grey-hooded Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Whiskered Tern
LC

Whiskered Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias hybrida

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
White-winged Tern
LC

White-winged Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias leucopterus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Lesser Black-backed Gull
LC

Lesser Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus fuscus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
African Skimmer
LC

African Skimmer

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rynchops flavirostris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Slender-billed Gull

Slender-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus genei

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Lesser Crested Tern
LC

Lesser Crested Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus bengalensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Blacksmith Lapwing
LC

Blacksmith Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus armatus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Black-winged Stilt
LC

Black-winged Stilt

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Himantopus himantopus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Spur-winged Lapwing
LC

Spur-winged Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus spinosus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

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

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Gull-billed Tern in Lake Nakuru National Park?

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Gull-billed Tern sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park, based on 429 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Gull-billed Tern in Lake Nakuru National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Gull-billed Tern in Lake Nakuru National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Lake Nakuru National Park