Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Sterna hirundo
Gaviotín común, Common Tern
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Laridae
Genus
Sterna
Species
hirundo
Taxon category: Accepted
Origin: Migrant
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Occurs regularly in very low numbers. One immature was collected on Española on 26 November 1961 (Lévêque et al. 1966). Two were photographed at Puerto Villamil, Isabela, in March 1970 (Harris 1973)
- Freile, J.F. Santander, T., Jiménez-Uzcátegui, G., Carrasco, L., Cisneros-Heredia, D., Guevara, E., Sánchez-Nivicela, M., Tinoco, B. (2019) Lista Roja de las aves del Ecuador Quito, Ecuador. 97 pp.
- Harris, M.P. (1973) The Galápagos avifauna. Condor 75(3): 265-278.
- Lévêque, R. Bowman, R.I. & Billeb, S.L.. (1966) Migrants in the Galapagos area. Condor 68(1): 81-101.
- Wiedenfeld, D.A. (2006) Aves, the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Check List 2006 2(2): 1-27.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Sterna hirundo", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=5182. Accessed 31 October 2026.