The royal tern is a tern in the family Laridae. The species is endemic to the Americas, though vagrants have been identified in Europe.
Region
Atlantic and eastern Pacific coasts of the Americas
Typical Environment
Breeds along sandy and shelly islands, barrier beaches, and low-lying cays on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America, the Caribbean, and parts of South America, and along the Pacific coast from Mexico to Peru. Winters from the southeastern United States and Mexico through the Caribbean and Central America to northern South America. It favors estuaries, lagoons, bays, and nearshore waters and rarely ventures far offshore. Vagrants occasionally reach western Europe. Colonies are typically on open, sparsely vegetated substrates close to productive feeding areas.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 100 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The royal tern is a large, elegant tern with a bright orange bill and a ragged black crest in breeding season. It nests in dense colonies on sandy islands, where chicks often form crèches guarded by multiple adults. Royal terns are plunge-divers, spearing small fish near the surface in coastal waters. West African populations were split as a separate species (West African crested tern), but the royal tern remains widespread in the Americas with occasional vagrants to Europe.
A Royal Tern chick being fed by its parents.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
strong flier with buoyant, elastic wingbeats; agile plunge-diver
Social Behavior
Breeds in dense colonies, often mixed with other terns and gulls, placing shallow ground scrapes on open sand or shell banks. Pairs engage in courtship feeding and aerial displays. Both parents incubate and feed the chick, which soon joins crèches for safety. Colonial nesting helps reduce predation through group vigilance.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are loud, harsh, and rolling, often rendered as a ringing 'keer-ick' or 'skeer' given in flight and at colonies. Calls carry over long distances and help adults locate mates and chicks within noisy colonies.
