---
title: "Inca Tern"
description: "Larosterna inca — Aves. The Inca tern (Larosterna inca) is a near-threatened species of tern in the subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae (the gulls, terns, and skimmers)."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pt/animal/inca-tern
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Inca Tern

> Larosterna inca — Aves. The  Inca tern (Larosterna inca) is a near-threatened species of tern in the subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae (the gulls, terns, and skimmers).

- Scientific name: *Larosterna inca*
- Category: `birds` (Aves)
- Habitats: `sea` (Mar e costa)
- iNaturalist observations: 3777
- Wikidata: [Q839862](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q839862)
- iNaturalist taxon: [4551](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4551)

## Names

- en: Inca Tern
- de: Inkaseeschwalbe
- es: Gaviotín monja
- fr: Sterne inca
- nl: Incastern
- pl: Rybitwa wąsata

## Countries with the most observations

PE (1864), CL (1144), EC (109), PA (15), CR (13), CO (8)

## Summary

The  Inca tern (Larosterna inca) is a near-threatened species of tern in the subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae (the gulls, terns, and skimmers). It is found along the Pacific coasts of Chile, Ecuador and Perú, and has appeared as a vagrant in Central America and Hawaii.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_tern

## Photo

![Inca Tern](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/inca-tern/medium.jpg)

Photo: Ruth Gutiérrez Oliveros · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/337767909

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/inca-tern?lang=pt` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).