Gygis alba
Silhouette: Vladimir Lysenko (photograph) · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Atlantic white tern (Gygis alba), also known as the common white tern, is a small seabird found in the Atlantic Ocean. It is sometimes known as the fairy tern, although this name is potentially confusing as it is also the common name of Sternula nereis. Other names for the species include angel tern and white noddy. The blue-billed white tern (Gygis candida) and the little white tern (Gygis microrhyncha) have sometimes been considered as subspecies of the Atlantic white tern.
The Atlantic white tern was first formally described by the Swedish naturalist Anders Sparrman in 1786 under the binomial name Sterna alba. The genus Gygis was introduced by the German zoologist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. The name Gygis is from the Ancient Greek guges for a mythical bird and the specific alba is Latin for "white". The blue-billed white tern (Gygis candida) and the little white tern (Gygis microrhyncha) were formerly considered to be subspecies of the Atlantic white tern.
Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the white terns are more closely related to the noddies (Anous) than they are to the other terns. This implies that "white noddy" would be a more appropriate English... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isla del Coco National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a White Tern sighting in Isla del Coco National Park on a given day, based on 425 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 69 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and September
In those months over 90% of wildlife watchers report a White Tern in Isla del Coco National Park on a given day, against about 40% in February, the lowest month. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White Tern sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate White Tern sightings, Isla del Coco National Park has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Manuel Antonio National Park (Costa Rica, under 5%).
Same family: Laridae
The closest relatives of the White Tern that you can see in Isla del Coco National Park (family Laridae, Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers) are Brown Noddy (about 70%), Franklin's Gull (about 20%) and Black Noddy (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White Tern is recorded against all the birds logged in Isla del Coco National Park (425 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
