Bridled Tern
Onychoprion anaethetus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusOnychoprion (Brown-backed Terns)
- SpeciesOnychoprion anaethetus (Bridled Tern)
About the Bridled Tern
The bridled tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) is a seabird of the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus comes from onux meaning "claw" or "nail", and prion, meaning "saw". The specific anaethetus means "senseless, stupid", in reference to its tameness around humans.
This is a medium-sized tern, at 30–32 cm in length and with a 77–81 cm wingspan similar to the common tern in size, but more heavily built. The wings and deeply forked tail are long, and it has dark grey upperparts and white underparts. The forehead and eyebrows are white, as is a striking collar on the hindneck. It has black legs and bill. Juvenile bridled terns are scaly grey above and pale below.
This species is unlikely to be confused with any tern apart from the similarly dark-backed sooty tern and the spectacled tern from the Tropical Pacific. It is paler-backed than that sooty, (but not as pale as the grey-backed) and has a narrower white forehead and a pale neck collar.
This bird is migratory and dispersive, wintering more widely through the tropical oceans. It has markedly marine habits compared to... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Bridled Tern in Manuel Antonio National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Manuel Antonio National Park
Franklin's Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Brown Noddy
Anous stolidus
White Tern
Gygis alba
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Sabine's Gull
Xema sabini
Elegant Tern
Thalasseus elegans
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Komodo National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Coiba National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 8 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 13 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Jaragua National Park | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 16 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 17 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 18 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 19 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 20 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 21 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Bridled Tern in Manuel Antonio National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bridled Tern sighting in Manuel Antonio National Park, based on 51 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Bridled Tern in Manuel Antonio National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for Bridled Tern in Manuel Antonio National Park in our monthly data.