South American Tern
Sterna hirundinacea
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusSterna (Typical Terns)
- SpeciesSterna hirundinacea (South American Tern)
Closest Relatives at Machalilla National Park
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Inca Tern
Larosterna inca
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Elegant Tern
Thalasseus elegans
Larus pipixcan
Leucophaeus pipixcan
Sabine's Gull
Xema sabini
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Dominican Gull
Larus dominicanus
📅 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
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 4 | Paracas National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 5 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a South American Tern in Machalilla National Park?
About 1% of visitor-days record a South American Tern sighting in Machalilla National Park, based on 10 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see South American Tern in Machalilla National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for South American Tern in Machalilla National Park in our monthly data.