Sooty Tern
Onychoprion fuscatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusOnychoprion (Brown-backed Terns)
- SpeciesOnychoprion fuscatus (Sooty Tern)
About the Sooty Tern
The sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is a seabird of the tropical oceans and can fly for years at a time, skimming the sea surface for food, and returning to land only to breed, on islands throughout the equatorial zone.
The sooty tern was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766 as Sterna fuscata, bearing this name for many years until the genus Sterna was split up; it is now classified in the genus Onychoprion as Onychoprion fuscatus. The genus name is from ancient Greek onux, "claw" or "nail", and prion, "saw". The species name fuscatus is Latin for "dark".
The sooty tern has little interspecific variation, but it is usually divided into six to eight allopatric subspecies. Some recent authors further subdivide the Indopacific population into up to eight subspecies altogether, but much of the variation is clinal. The affinities of eastern Pacific birds (including O. f. manutarus of Easter Island) are most strongly contested. Six subspecies are currently accepted by the IOC:
Onychoprion fuscatus fuscatus (Linnaeus, 1766) – breeds on tropical Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean islands. Underparts white. Onychoprion fuscatus nubilosus... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Raja Ampat
Bridled Tern
Onychoprion anaethetus
Aleutian Tern
Onychoprion aleuticus
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Black-naped Tern
Sterna sumatrana
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
Brown Noddy
Anous stolidus
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
Lesser Crested Tern
Thalasseus bengalensis
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
Black Noddy
Anous minutus
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
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 | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Isla del Coco National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Coiba National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 15 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 16 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 18 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 19 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 20 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 22 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Sooty Tern in Raja Ampat?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty Tern sighting in Raja Ampat, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Sooty Tern in Raja Ampat?
April has the highest sighting rate for Sooty Tern in Raja Ampat in our monthly data.