Bird Album
Yellow-billed Tern
Sternula superciliaris (Vieillot, 1819)
23–25 cmLength46 gWeight
The yellow-billed tern (Sternula superciliaris) is a small seabird found in South America.
Busiest months: July–October · Most records: Brazil, Uruguay, Peru
Where and when it's recorded
Yellow-billed Tern has been recorded at 229 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Pantanal – P. Jofre boat on Rio Cuiabá & tributariesBrazil1,678 records
- Pantanal – Porto JofreBrazil646 records
- PE Encontro das ÁguasBrazil576 records
More places
- (IBA) Esteros del Arroyo Maldonado – ÁreaUruguay564 records
- Laguna José Ignacio – Área sur y DesembocaduraUruguay425 records
- Bahia de AsuncionParaguay384 records
- PP Laguna de Rocha – Zona Sur y BarraUruguay372 records
- Estación Biológica de Cocha CashuPeru268 records
- Muyuna Amazon LodgePeru246 records
- SFF Los Flamencos – Resguardo Perratpu/Boca de CamaronesColombia239 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The yellow-billed tern (Sternula superciliaris) is a small seabird found in South America. It is a species of tern in the family Laridae.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Yellow-billed Tern?
The Yellow-billed Tern is about 23–25 cm long and weighs around 46 g.
Where does the Yellow-billed Tern live?
Its breeding range: South America: large rivers of northeastern Peru, northern, central Colombia, northern Venezuela and Guianas to east-central Argentina. It is most often recorded in Brazil, Uruguay and Peru.
When is the best time to see the Yellow-billed Tern?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July, August, September and October (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Yellow-billed Tern endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Yellow-billed Tern as Least Concern.
What does the Yellow-billed Tern eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Yellow-billed Tern in?
It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 23–25 cm
- Weight
- 46 g
- Habitat
- Rivers & streams
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 169 mm
- Tail
- 62 mm
- Bill
- 38 mm
- Tarsus
- 16 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
South America: large rivers of northeastern Peru, northern, central Colombia, northern Venezuela and Guianas to east-central Argentina
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Laridae
- Genus
- Sternula
Other birds in the genus Sternula
Little TernSternula albifrons
Saunders's TernSternula saundersi
Least TernSternula antillarum
Peruvian TernSternula lorata
Fairy TernSternula nereis
Damara TernSternula balaenarum
African SkimmerRynchops flavirostris
Indian SkimmerRynchops albicollis
Black SkimmerRynchops niger
Atlantic White TernGygis alba
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Guillermo Menéndez. ↗
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