Royal tern
| Royal tern | |
|---|---|
| Breeding plumage, Belize | |
| Winter plumage, Florida | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Thalasseus |
| Species: | T. maximus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Thalasseus maximus (Boddaert, 1783)
| |
| Orange: breeding summer visitor Purple: breeding resident Blue: non-breeding winter visitor | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sterna maxima | |
The royal tern (Thalasseus maximus) is a tern in the family Laridae. The species is endemic to the Americas, though vagrants have been identified in Europe.