Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusThalasseus (Crested Terns)
- SpeciesThalasseus maximus (Royal Tern)
Closest Relatives at Palo Verde National Park
Elegant Tern
Thalasseus elegans
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Yellow-billed Tern
Sternula superciliaris
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Larus pipixcan
Leucophaeus pipixcan
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Northern Jacana
Jacana spinosa
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Southern Lapwing
Vanellus chilensis
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
📅 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
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Royal Tern in Palo Verde National Park?
About 4% of visitor-days record a Royal Tern sighting in Palo Verde National Park, based on 47 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Royal Tern in Palo Verde National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Royal Tern in Palo Verde National Park in our monthly data.