Birds · La Saladita, Guerrero

Common Tern

Sterna hirundo

Spanish: Charrán Común

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Photographed by raulrambar on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC-SA

The common tern is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are several similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations. Most often recorded in Apr, May.

TaxonomyAves › Charadriiformes › Laridae
Local records2 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records71,010 on iNaturalist
Recorded here2013 – 2020
Months recorded near La Saladita
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Birds guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/sterna-hirundo/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.