Genus

Crested Terns

Thalasseus

5 species in our catalog · found in 74 parks

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
GenusThalasseus (Crested Terns)

Species in this group

Thalasseus bergii

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Thalasseus maximus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Thalasseus elegans

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Thalasseus bengalensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Daily sighting probability by month

Probability-weighted average across the group's species

~40%

Jan

~30%

Feb

~40%

Mar

~30%

Apr

~30%

May

~30%

Jun

~30%

Jul

~30%

Aug

~30%

Sep

~30%

Oct

~40%

Nov

~30%

Dec

When they're spotted

When the group's species are recorded (aggregated)

Where to see Crested Terns

Warmer areas are where this group is recorded most often. Our parks Our cities In captivity: 3 zoos & centres

Parks Ranked

#	Park	Country	Species	Daily sighting probability
1	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 5	~90%
	Royal Tern			~80%
	Sandwich Tern			~60%
2	Rottnest Island	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~90%
	Crested Tern			~90%
3	Padre Island National Seashore	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	~90%
	Royal Tern			~80%
	Sandwich Tern			~40%
4	West Coast National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	2 of 5	~60%
	Sandwich Tern			~40%
	Crested Tern			~40%
5	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 5	~60%
	Sandwich Tern			~40%
	Royal Tern			~40%
6	Komodo National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	2 of 5	~60%
	Crested Tern			~60%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~10%
7	Ningaloo Marine Park	🇦🇺 Australia	2 of 5	~60%
	Crested Tern			~50%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~20%
8	Jaragua National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	2 of 5	~50%
	Royal Tern			~50%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
9	Península Valdés	🇦🇷 Argentina	2 of 5	~50%
	Royal Tern			~40%
	Sandwich Tern			~20%
10	Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	~50%
	Royal Tern			~40%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
11	Cape Range	🇦🇺 Australia	2 of 5	~50%
	Crested Tern			~40%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~20%
12	Noosa National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~40%
	Crested Tern			~40%
13	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	2 of 5	~40%
	Royal Tern			~30%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
14	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 5	~40%
	Royal Tern			~30%
	Elegant Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
15	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 5	~40%
	Royal Tern			~30%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
16	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 5	~40%
	Royal Tern			~30%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
	Elegant Tern			~10%
17	Los Haitises National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	2 of 5	~40%
	Royal Tern			~30%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
18	Ciénaga de Zapata	🇨🇺 Cuba	2 of 5	~40%
	Royal Tern			~40%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
19	Freycinet National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~40%
	Crested Tern			~40%
20	Bahía de Loreto National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 5	~40%
	Royal Tern			~30%
	Elegant Tern			~10%
21	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	3 of 5	~30%
	Crested Tern			~30%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~10%
22	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	~30%
	Elegant Tern			~20%
	Royal Tern			~10%
23	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 5	~30%
	Royal Tern			~30%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
24	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 5	~30%
	Royal Tern			~20%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
25	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 5	~30%
	Royal Tern			~30%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
26	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	2 of 5	~30%
	Crested Tern			~20%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
27	Biotopo Cerro Cahuí	🇬🇹 Guatemala	2 of 5	~30%
	Royal Tern			~30%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
28	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 5	~30%
	Royal Tern			~20%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
29	Wilsons Promontory National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~30%
	Crested Tern			~30%
30	Maria Island National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~30%
	Crested Tern			~30%
31	Raja Ampat	🇮🇩 Indonesia	2 of 5	~20%
	Crested Tern			~20%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
32	Bali Barat National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	2 of 5	~20%
	Crested Tern			~20%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
33	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	2 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~20%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
34	Utría National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	1 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~20%
35	Coiba National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	2 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~20%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
36	San Lorenzo Protected Forest	🇵🇦 Panama	2 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
37	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~20%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
38	Booderee National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~20%
	Crested Tern			~20%
39	Tayrona National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	2 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
40	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	1 of 5	~20%
	Sandwich Tern			~20%
41	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
42	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~20%
43	De Hoop Nature Reserve	🇿🇦 South Africa	2 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
44	Garden Route National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	2 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
45	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	3 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Elegant Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
46	Bako National Park	🇲🇾 Malaysia	1 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
47	Royal National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
48	Great Otway National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
49	Flinders Chase	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
50	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
51	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
52	Yala National Park	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	2 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
53	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
54	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
55	Main Ridge Forest Reserve	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	1 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			~10%
56	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
57	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
58	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	2 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
	Crested Tern			<5%
59	Camargue	🇫🇷 France	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
60	Snowdonia National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
61	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
62	Doñana National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
63	Namib-Naukluft National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	1 of 5	<5%
	Crested Tern			<5%
64	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	2 of 5	<5%
	Royal Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
65	Daintree National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	2 of 5	<5%
	Crested Tern			<5%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
66	Henri Pittier National Park	🇻🇪 Venezuela	1 of 5	<5%
	Royal Tern			<5%
67	Galápagos Islands	🇪🇨 Ecuador	2 of 5	<5%
	Royal Tern			<5%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
68	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	2 of 5	<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
	Royal Tern			<5%
69	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 5	<5%
	Royal Tern			<5%
70	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 5	<5%
	Royal Tern			<5%
71	Tangkoko Nature Reserve	🇮🇩 Indonesia	1 of 5	<5%
	Crested Tern			<5%
72	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	1 of 5	<5%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
73	Redwood National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 5	<5%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
74	Tijuca National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 5	<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%

Cities Ranked

#	City	Country	Species	Daily sighting probability
1	Dakar	🇸🇳 Senegal	2 of 5	~60%
	Sandwich Tern			~50%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~30%
2	Zanzibar City	🇹🇿 Tanzania	2 of 5	~60%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~40%
	Crested Tern			~30%
3	Havana	🇨🇺 Cuba	2 of 5	~40%
	Royal Tern			~30%
	Sandwich Tern			~20%
4	Kuwait City	🇰🇼 Kuwait	3 of 5	~40%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~20%
	Crested Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
5	San Diego	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	~30%
	Royal Tern			~20%
	Elegant Tern			~10%
6	Algiers	🇩🇿 Algeria	2 of 5	~30%
	Sandwich Tern			~20%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~10%
7	Kozhikode	🇮🇳 India	3 of 5	~20%
	Crested Tern			~20%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
8	Dar es-Salaam	🇹🇿 Tanzania	2 of 5	~20%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~20%
	Crested Tern			~10%
9	Montevideo	🇺🇾 Uruguay	2 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~20%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
10	Jeddah	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	2 of 5	~20%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
11	Panama City	🇵🇦 Panama	3 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
12	Tijuana	🇲🇽 México	2 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Elegant Tern			~10%
13	Miami	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	~20%
	Royal Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
14	Vitória	🇧🇷 Brazil	2 of 5	~20%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
	Royal Tern			<5%
15	Durban	🇿🇦 South Africa	4 of 5	~20%
	Crested Tern			~10%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
16	Lima	🇵🇪 Peru	3 of 5	~20%
	Elegant Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
	Royal Tern			<5%
17	Kollam	🇮🇳 India	3 of 5	~20%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
18	Rabat	🇲🇦 Morocco	1 of 5	~20%
	Sandwich Tern			~20%
19	Denpasar	🇮🇩 Indonesia	1 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
20	Manama	🇧🇭 Bahrain	1 of 5	~10%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~10%
21	Casablanca	🇲🇦 Morocco	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
22	Ponnani	🇮🇳 India	3 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
23	Liverpool	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
24	Porto	🇵🇹 Portugal	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
25	Perth	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
26	Karachi	🇵🇰 Pakistan	2 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~10%
27	Cape Town	🇿🇦 South Africa	2 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
28	Dublin	🇮🇪 Ireland	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
29	Freetown	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
30	Izmir	🇹🇷 Turkey	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
31	Dammam	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	1 of 5	~10%
	Lesser Crested Tern			~10%
32	Los Angeles	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			<5%
	Elegant Tern			<5%
33	Sydney	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
34	Melbourne	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
35	Tel Aviv	🇮🇱 Israel	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
36	Barranquilla	🇨🇴 Colombia	2 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
37	Maputo	🇲🇿 Mozambique	2 of 5	~10%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
38	Alexandria	🇪🇬 Egypt	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
39	Davao City	🇵🇭 Philippines	1 of 5	~10%
	Crested Tern			~10%
40	Athens	🇬🇷 Greece	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
41	Naples	🇮🇹 Italy	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
42	Santos	🇧🇷 Brazil	2 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
43	Kochi	🇮🇳 India	3 of 5	~10%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
	Crested Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
44	Serrekunda	🇬🇲 Gambia	2 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
45	Rio de Janeiro	🇧🇷 Brazil	2 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
	Royal Tern			<5%
46	San Francisco	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 5	~10%
	Elegant Tern			~10%
47	Dubai	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	3 of 5	~10%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
	Crested Tern			<5%
48	Santo Domingo	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	1 of 5	~10%
	Royal Tern			~10%
49	Luanda	🇦🇴 Angola	1 of 5	~10%
	Sandwich Tern			~10%
50	Hobart	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 5	<5%
	Crested Tern			<5%
51	Tunis	🇹🇳 Tunisia	1 of 5	<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
52	Maracaibo	🇻🇪 Venezuela	1 of 5	<5%
	Royal Tern			<5%
53	Abu Dhabi	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	1 of 5	<5%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
54	Barcelona	🇪🇸 Spain	1 of 5	<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
55	Lisbon	🇵🇹 Portugal	1 of 5	<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
56	Puducherry	🇮🇳 India	1 of 5	<5%
	Crested Tern			<5%
57	Brisbane	🇦🇺 Australia	2 of 5	<5%
	Crested Tern			<5%
	Lesser Crested Tern			<5%
58	Rotterdam [The Hague]	🇳🇱 Netherlands	1 of 5	<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
59	Valencia	🇪🇸 Spain	1 of 5	<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%
60	Istanbul	🇹🇷 Turkey	1 of 5	<5%
	Sandwich Tern			<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary	🇦🇺 Australia	In captivity
2	Downtown Aquarium, Denver	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
3	Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds	🇿🇦 South Africa	In captivity

Crested Terns

Species in this group

Crested Tern

Royal Tern

Sandwich Tern

Elegant Tern

Lesser Crested Tern

Daily sighting probability by month

When they're spotted

Where to see Crested Terns

Parks Ranked

Cities Ranked

Zoos & Centres Where Found