Evidence found
123 records across 8 countries and territories, 1839–2023.
Onychoprion lunatus · GBIF taxon key 5789278
Where has the Gray-backed Tern been recorded?
Onychoprion lunatus occurrence evidence comes from 123 records in 8 countries and territories, from 1839 to 2023. Most records come from United States.
- 123 records
- 8 places
- 28 years recorded
- Aves class
Observation evidence passport
Source coverage
CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.
Refreshed 2026-08-23. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.
What this means
The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: May.
6 months reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.
What this does not mean
repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.
A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.
Compare this animal’s observation pattern
When it is recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak month: May. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.
Records over time
18392023
Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.
Where Gray-backed Tern has been recorded
The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for Gray-backed Tern. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.
| Place | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 93 | |
| ZZ | 9 | |
| French Polynesia | 5 | |
| United States Minor Outlying Islands | 5 | |
| Samoa | 2 | |
| Japan | 1 | |
| Kiribati | 1 | |
| Marshall Islands | 1 |
Related animals
Others in the family Laridae.
Lesser Black-backed Gull
4,046,434 records
Herring Gull
3,247,099 records
Black-headed Gull
1,123,276 records
Mew Gull
986,748 records
Common Tern
519,969 records
Great Black-backed Gull
493,641 records
Mediterranean Gull
263,862 records
Arctic Tern
232,790 records
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.