Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Conservation status data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_tern
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Laridae
Genus
Thalasseus
Royal Tern belongs to the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes, within the Aves class.
Species Profile
Species profile data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Royal Terns face severe threats from coastal development and human disturbance at their critical nesting colonies, where they breed in dense aggregations on sandy beaches and barrier islands. Climate change-induced sea level rise and increased storm intensity threaten to inundate their low-lying nesting sites, while pollution and overfishing reduce their marine prey availability. Conservation status may vary by region or assessment authority.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Coastal marine environments including sandy beaches, barrier islands, salt marshes, and estuaries for nesting, with foraging occurring in nearshore waters, bays, and lagoons. Nests colonially on isolated sandy or shell beaches, often on small islands free from terrestrial predators.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Royal Terns face severe threats from coastal development and human disturbance at their critical nesting colonies, where they breed in dense aggregations on sandy beaches and barrier islands. Climate change-induced sea level rise and increased storm intensity threaten to inundate their low-lying nesting sites, while pollution and overfishing reduce their marine prey availability. Conservation status may vary by region or assessment authority.
Coastal development and habitat loss
Human disturbance at nesting colonies
Marine pollution and plastic ingestion
Sea level rise and coastal erosion
Overfishing reducing prey availability
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/royal-tern