Sooty Tern
- Family
- Laridae
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least Concern 5
Where and when to see the Sooty Tern
DraftMostly in Quintana Roo
It is an ocean bird that comes to land only to nest on remote islands such as Arrecife Alacranes. From shore it is rare; look for it from boats offshore, especially in spring and summer.
Where it’s reported most
- Playa Norte, Isla MujeresIsla Mujeres, Quintana Roo
Data: eBird and other datasets via GBIF.org (CC BY 4.0), 2015–2025 · Base map: Natural Earth
Lives over open ocean and rarely lands on the water, since its plumage is not waterproof. It comes ashore only to nest, in dense, noisy colonies on remote islands.
- Identification
- A large ocean tern, blackish above and bright white below, with a white forehead and a long, deeply forked tail. Young birds are dark sooty brown with white spots on the back.
- Voice
- A loud, nasal “wide-a-wake”, heard day and night at the colonies.
What the photo doesn’t show
DraftYears on the wing
After leaving its colony, a young Sooty Tern can stay airborne for years before it breeds for the first time. Its feathers are poorly waterproofed, so it almost never settles on the sea. 1,2
Fishing without a dive
It snatches small fish at the surface or in mid-air, often where big predatory fish have driven them up. It rarely if ever plunges in after them. 1,3
An island carpeted with nests
It is the most numerous seabird on Arrecife Alacranes, off Yucatán. In March 2009 researchers estimated about 139,000 nests on Isla Pérez alone. 4
Wanted for its eggs
Its eggs are still taken for food in many places. On Alacranes, fishermen used to collect seabird eggs, but the practice has dropped sharply since the reef became a national park in 1994. 1,4
Sources
- Birds of the World (Cornell Lab): Sooty Tern (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Sooty tern (opens in a new tab)
- Audubon Guide to North American Birds: Sooty Tern (opens in a new tab)
- Morales-Vera et al. 2017, Marine Ornithology 45: 175–185 (opens in a new tab)
- IUCN Red List category, via GBIF: Onychoprion fuscatus (opens in a new tab)
Map and months: 77 records from 2015–2025 from eBird, via GBIF.org (CC BY 4.0), in 0.1° squares (about 10 km). eBird: doi.org/10.15468/aomfnb.
A blank square: few or no reports, not necessarily absent.
Tell us where, or ask how to find one.
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