Larosterna inca
Silhouette: Juan Carlos Jerí · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Inca tern (Larosterna inca) is a near-threatened species of tern in the subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae (the gulls, terns, and skimmers). It is found along the Pacific coasts of Chile, Ecuador and Perú, and has appeared as a vagrant in Central America and Hawaii.
The Inca tern is the sole member of its monotypic genus Larosterna, and has no accepted subspecies. Perhaps surprisingly given its highly distinct plumage, the Inca tern is not particularly basal among the terns, being more closely related to typical Sterna terns than any of the superficially much more similar genera Gelochelidon, Hydroprogne, Onychoprion, Phaetusa, or Sternula are.
The Inca tern is roughly 39 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in) long and weighs between 180 to 210 g (6.3 to 7.4 oz). Its plumage is uniquely colored among terns; adults have a mostly dark, slate-gray body, with paler underwing coverts, and a slightly paler throat. A white stripe extends back from the base of the bill and fans out like a Salvador Dalíesque mustache as long, satiny feathers along the side of the neck. The trailing edge of the wing (the tips of the secondaries and the three inner...
Call0:11
Peru · 2019
© Monica · XC506530 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Song0:38
Chile · 2019
© Gonzalo Labarrera Valdivieso · XC501890 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Recording0:16
Peru · 2022
© jocean · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paracas National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SeaWorld Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 4 | SeaWorld Abu Dhabi | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 5 | Copenhagen Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 6 | Natura Artis Magistra | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Zürich Zoo | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 9 | Lisbon Oceanarium | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 10 | Planckendael Zoo | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 11 | Le Pal | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Zlín-Lešná Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 13 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 14 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 15 | Zoologic park de Lille | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 16 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 17 | Zoo de Doué | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 18 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Milwaukee County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 25 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 27 | Rostock Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 28 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 29 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 30 | Caldwell Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 31 | ZooTampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 33 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 34 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 35 | Great Plains Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 36 | Cameron Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 38 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 39 | Fresno Chaffee Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | Beale Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 41 | Ouwehands Dierenpark | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 42 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 43 | El Paso Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 44 | Rosamond Gifford Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 45 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 46 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 47 | Krefelder Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 48 | NaturZoo Rheine | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 49 | Heidelberg Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 50 | Vogelpark Avifauna | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report an Inca Tern sighting in Paracas National Reserve on a given day, based on 1,018 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 84 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report an Inca Tern in Paracas National Reserve on a given day, against about 50% in January, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Inca Tern sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 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 Inca Tern sightings, Paracas National Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Machalilla National Park (Ecuador, about 10%).
Same family: Laridae
The closest relatives of the Inca Tern that you can see in Paracas National Reserve (family Laridae, Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers) are Belcher's Gull (about 80%), Dominican Gull (about 60%) and Grey-hooded Gull (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Inca Tern is recorded against all the birds logged in Paracas National Reserve (1,018 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.
