Evidence found
5,515 records across 37 countries and territories, 1861–2026.
Thalasseus maximus · GBIF taxon key 5789281
Where has the Royal Tern been recorded?
Thalasseus maximus occurrence evidence comes from 5,515 records in 37 countries and territories, from 1861 to 2026. Most records come from United States.
- 5,515 records
- 37 places
- 147 years recorded
- Aves class
Observation evidence passport
Source coverage
CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.
Refreshed 2026-09-24. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.
What this means
The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: February.
12 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: February. 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
18612026
Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.
Where Royal Tern has been recorded
The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for Royal 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 | 4,570 | |
| Colombia | 445 | |
| Mexico | 277 | |
| Costa Rica | 26 | |
| Cuba | 17 | |
| Argentina | 15 | |
| Brazil | 15 | |
| Belize | 13 | |
| Cayman Islands | 13 | |
| Uruguay | 13 | |
| Bahamas | 12 | |
| Grenada | 11 | |
| Dominican Republic | 9 | |
| St Vincent & the Grenadines | 8 | |
| Australia | 7 | |
| Ecuador | 7 | |
| Peru | 7 | |
| Puerto Rico | 6 | |
| Honduras | 5 | |
| US Virgin Islands | 5 | |
| Bonaire | 4 | |
| Saint Lucia | 4 | |
| Aruba | 3 | |
| Jamaica | 3 | |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 3 | |
| Guadeloupe | 2 | |
| Guyana | 2 | |
| Nicaragua | 2 | |
| Panama | 2 | |
| El Salvador | 2 | |
| Curaçao | 1 | |
| France | 1 | |
| Ghana | 1 | |
| Guatemala | 1 | |
| MF | 1 | |
| Montserrat | 1 | |
| Venezuela | 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.